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HEAD OF TYnCAL ARABIAN HORSE. 



My HORSE; My Love 



" His neigh is like the bidding of a monarch, and his countenance 
enforces homage."— KING HENRY V. 



BY 



DINAH 'SHARPE 

AUTHOR OF "THE APPLE OF ARABIA'S EYE," AND OTHER STORIES 



ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK 3 3 V7 ^^ 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 

1892 



%^ 






COPYRIGHT, 1897, 
BY SARA BUCKMAN LINARD. 



To 
MY DAUGHTERS 

VIRNIE AND MARGUERITE, 

THIS BOOK IS MOST LOVINGLY 

IFnBcribeD. 



CONTENTS. 



PACE 

Introduction, i 

CHAPTER I. 
Veterinary Education, . . . , , . .12 

CHAPTER n. 
Facilities for Breeding in America 18 

CHAPTER in. 
The Sense of Smell in the Horse, 22 

CHAPTER IV. 
Nature's Vinaigrette, 25 

CHAPTER V. 
Arabia, . . , .32 

CHAPTER VI. 
Famous Arabian Horses^— . 38 

CHAPTER VII. 
Pedigree of Arabian Horses, 45 

CHAPTER VIII. 
It IS the Blood that Tells, ....... 52 

CHAPTER IX. 
Types of Arabian Horses , . .55 



Vin CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

PAGE 

Arabian Horses in England, ...... 60 

CHAPTER XL 
English and Russian Horses, 65 

CHAPTER XH. 
Cruelty of Docking, 71 

CHAPTER Xni. 
Operation of Docking, 76 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Mexican Bit and Curb, 81 

CHAPTER XV. 
The Bearing- Rein, . . . . . . . .88 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Balking, 92 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Blinkers and Blindness, 96 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Teeth and Toothache, . . . . . . . 100 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Lockjaw, . , . . . . . . . . 102 

CHAPTER XX. 
Arab Horses in South America, . . . , .107 

CHAPTER XXL 
Arab Horses in North America, in 



CONTENTS. IX 

CHAPTER XXII. 

PAGE 

Secretary Seward's Arabs, nS 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Selim, . ... . 121 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Abdallah ^24 

CHAPTER XXV. 
The American Horse, 127 

' CHAPTER XXVI. 
♦'Standard Bred" Horses, 132 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
General Grant's Horses, 136 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Americo-Arab Stud, ........ 142 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
Conclusion, ^49 



MY HORSE; iMY LOVE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



"Ah, this is delightful," exclaimed the Count, as 
he held his hands toward the cheerful blaze of a 
bright wood fire, on our broad old hearthstone. 

The Count had come to make us a long-promised 
visit in the early autumn ; arriving at the twilight 
hour of a dreary day, chill and bleak, with a persis- 
tent soaking rain, and a gusty, soughing wind. 
For one long week the sun had hidden his face be- 
hind the dull and sodden sky, depriving us of the 
solace even of a brisk walk, or a game at tennis, in 
these last days of our summer sojourn by the seaside. 
So we heard the roar of the ocean, and the howling 
wind outside, with a pleasing sense of comfort in the 
contrast, as we watched the wide flames, now shoot- 
ing up with a noisy crackling Energy, now dying 
down to a hissing mysterious whisper. 

Conversation was brisk, for the Count had such 
an inexhaustible fund of romance, fact, story, and 
adventure, that we gave him little chance of rest 
when an adroit question, here and there, inspired 
him to tell us of his past life. A Polish patriot — 



2 • MY horse; my love. 

the last of the noble family of Kosciusko — his studied 
English and quaint accent added greatly to the in- 
terest of his narrations. 

As he had promised to tell us the *' why and where- 
fore " of his residence in America, with a final poke 
at the fire the little war of question and reply began. 

THE COUNT. 

You have promised, Count, to give us some par- 
ticulars of your life in Russia. Since you were born 
in Poland, did you serve in the Russian army by 
choice? 

" Poland being subject to Russia, I had no choice 
but to serve in the Russian army. It would be a 
life-long reproach to his courage and patriotism, if a 
nobleman, bom in Poland, without physical deformity, 
and strong in limb and wind, should fail to devote 
some years of his life to military service. He 
would be stripped of his title of nobility, and could 
arrive at no personal distinction of an honorable 
character." 

I have always heard that Poland is a nation of 
soldiers. 

*' It is true — the government being controlled by 
old soldiers rathei^than by statesmen. Although 
diplomacy in foreign countries is studied as are the 
learned professions; in Poland it must be learned 
through the use of the sword, by military rule and 
suggestion. A man must at least prove himself a 
brave soldier, before he can serve the government as 
a diplomatist, or in any other capacity." 



INTRODUCTION. 



Being on the Emperor's staff you were, of 
course, very near his person. 

"Ah, madam, many a time have I put him in his 
kibitka and sent him home more drunk than any 
lord!" 

Was Alexander II. an agreeable person to be on 
such intimate terms with? 

"When sober, no man could be kinder, gentler, 
or more humane; but when drunk, he was worse 
than a wild beast, and developed characteristics which 
made him a terror to everybody near him. He 
would order a man's head chopped off for the least 
offence, or to suit his drunken whim, and did not 
mind standing by to see the order executed, while 
laughing in fiendish glee at the victim's terror." 

Then you were not sorry to join the Polish insur- 
rection against Russia? 

" It was Poland that I loved, my own country, and 
it was my duty to fight for her and my pleasure also. 
We longed for liberty, and fought for it desper- 
ately. But Russia is a powerful nation, and we were 
outnumbered. I was thrown into an Austrian 
prison, where I remained four months and was then 
ordered to be sent to Russia. Knowing something 
of what torture awaited me there, and finding friends 
in the prison who were in communication with 
friends outside, I determined to make my escape." 

How did you manage that? 

" The bars of my cell had been cut, and hearing 
the signal agreed upon, I emerged from the window, 
and found it not too difficult a matter to leap to the 
parapet, then to the bastion, to another parapet, to a 



4 MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

bastion below, and so on until I had descended low 
enough to make the plunge into the river. Swim- 
ming about 4,000 yards, I reached the opposite side 
just as the signal gun gave voice that a prisoner had 
escaped." 

And you were not recaptured? 

" As I reached the shore a friend seized my hand 
and ran with me to a carriage in waiting. Dry 
clothing, food, and brandy had been provided, but 
we tarried not. The good horses flew over the 
ground toward Bavaria, and once over its friendly 
borders I was again a free man." 

Did you remain long in Bavaria? 

" Not long. As soon as I had rested I went to 
vSwitzerland and thence to Rome." 

In Rome you raust have felt quite safe. 

" Eternal watchfulness is the price of liberty. 
While walking there one evening, I had just turned 
into a quiet street when I was attacked by three 
lazzaroni. Being always armed, I quickly disabled 
two of them with my sword, and seizing the third, 
demanded of him the writing which gave him the 
authority to pursue me. The beggarly scoundrel, 
crying for mercy, handed it to me, when I knocked 
him flat and unconscious with my fist; just then a 
man came forward eagerly saying; 'Have you killed 
him? then give me back the paper!' It was a Rus- 
sian detective who spoke, whom I recognized, and I 
determined not to spare him. Holding the paper 
toward him, as he put out his hand to take it, I 
stabbed him to the heart." 

But were you not afraid of arrest? 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

" With my bloody sword in one hand, and the paper 
in the other, containing a description of my person, 
and an order to seize me dead or alive, I went to the 
police authorities. I showed them the paper, told 
them of the assault upon me, and where they could 
find the dead body in the street, and possibly the 
three lazzaroni. Instead of arresting me, they 
applauded my deed, allowing me to go free. As I 
was soon thereafter warned by Cardinal Franchi and 
the Countess Odescalchi, n^e Pototska, of noble 
Polish birth, of another conspiracy against me, I left 
Rome for Paris, when my life was again attempted 
by a Russian spy." 

But why should they seek to kill you? 

" The Russian detective has the privilege of kill- 
ing his victim if he can catch him in no other way. 
Finding Napoleon unfriendly, or at least indifferent, 
I returned to Switzerland. Here I was waited on 
by emissaries from Alexander, who offered to restore 
to me my entire property — which he had confiscated 
— and all my other rights, if I would swear to bend 
the knee to him and become once more his body- 
guard." 

You liked the Emperor, did you not? 

" Ah, madam, the^Russians are a nation of liars, 
and I loved my freedom too well to put it again in 
jeopardy. Knowing that even now these messengers 
of the Emperor had secret power to enforce his com- 
mands, I asked for a few hours in which to arrange 
some affairs. Fancying that they had met with less 
opposition than they expected, they readily and cour- 
teously acceded to my request. I wasted no time, 



6 MY horse; my love. 

but escaping from the house, reached the railroad 
station just as the fast train toward Liverpool and 
America came in sight. My securities had been 
changed into gold which I carried on my person, 
and so, with about sixty thousand dollars and my 
profession, I began life in America with a glad 
heart, rejoicing in the freedom which this brave land 
gives to all who dwell within its boundaries." 

Then here you were, of course, free from perse- 
cution? 

"Alas, no! Russian power and hostility are far- 
reaching, and the secret spies of the Russian govern- 
ment have long arms. They are ubiquitous, and to 
the shame even of New York, be it said, that within 
that city exists a secret agency for Russian spies." 

Is it possible that anything so iniquitous can be 
tolerated in our land? 

" The fact can be easily proved. I had not been 
here long before the amusing information was 
brought me that I had been burned in effigy in 
Russia. But when I learned that my mother and 
sister had been imprisoned, and finally put to death 
by strangulation because, not knowing, they could 
not yield the secret of my hiding-place, the last link 
that bound my respect and alliance to Russia was 
broken, and my heart knew its first great sorrow." 

PERSECUTION. 

With such a cruel memory of Russia's wicked 
revenge, in the slaughter of your mother and sister, 
you must have been glad to adopt America as your 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

future home. Of course no further attempts were 
made on your life here? 

" On the contrary, three separate times my life has 
been in danger from Russian spies, and twice my 
good dog has warned and saved me." 

Was it Beppo who saved your life? 

"No, it was a noble English pointer, trained to 
perfection, whose love for and devotion and obedi- 
ence to me were priceless, and his death a positive 
grief. Beppo, though a fine mastiff, is not his equal. " 

How did the dog save your life? 

"Shortly after my arrival in North America 
eighteen years ago, the first attempt upon my life in 
this country was made. I had been reading until a 
late hour, but feeling weary, finally turned off the 
gas and went to bed. The resting-place of my En- 
glish pointer at night was at my bedside. Sud- 
denly, through the deep slumber in which I lay, 
sounded a low ominous growl, unusual enough to 
startle me into partial wakefulness. At my command 
the dog jumped on the bed, and feeling then secure, 
I closed my eyes, only to open them again in a 
moment, to see a man standing before me. In one 
hand he held up a lighted match, and in the other a 
poniard lifted high, and about to descend with unerr- 
ing stroke upon me. With one bound my brave dog 
was upon him, and bore him to the floor; while, I, 
in striving to wrench the poniard from his hand, 
broke his arm. " 

The wretch! Then you were able to secure him? 

" I bound him fast, and telling the dog to watch 
him, dressed hastily, and securing a firm hold on my 



8 MY horse; mv love. 

midnight assassin, marched him off to the police 
station. There I told my story of his attempt upon 
my life and saw my affidavit written down, while 
in the bright light I recognized a certain Russian 
spy from the third chamber of government detec- 
tives." 

You mean to say you recognized a spy from 
Russia in a police station in America? 

"Certainly, madam." 

Then they were in collusion to take your life ! 

" Doubtless. Leaving the poniard as a proof and 
witness against the spy, I was told to come in the 
morning. Incredible as it may seem, when I went 
the next day, instead of the ready recognition I had 
every right to expect, I was met by the stolid, in- 
different question, 'Who are you?' I answered the 
query by asking another: * Where is the man, the 
murderer, I brought here last night with a broken 
arm and the poniard he meant to slay me with?' 
They vouchsafed me no other answer than 'We 
know nothing about him. ' I asked for the book in 
which I had seen the record written, but only a 
frayed edge of paper indicated where it had been 
torn out, and even the blotter was destroyed." 

What did you do and say? 

" In deepest indignation I realized that bribery 
and lies had triumphed, and that the spy had been 
allowed to escape. Turning to the officer I said, 
'You see this pistol and these cartridges with which 
I load it, and this knife? These arms I carry in 
self-defence, and the next time I bring you, not 
broken bones, but a dead man. ' " 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

Had you at that time been made an American 
citizen? 

" No, madam. And it was not until I realized that 
twice again my life was in danger, that I recognized 
the importance of placing myself under the protec- 
tion of this great nation. " 

Where else, and how were you in danger? 

" For a short time I lived in New Haven, and 
standing one day in my own grounds before my 
door, I saw a man enter the gate. He approached 
me and, with more politeness than one expects in a 
beggar, he asked for alms. Although he spoke 
Polish, it was with the Russian dialect, which be- 
trayed him, and my suspicions were at once aroused. 
Regarding him keenly I was convinced that his 
errand was not one of mercy, and said to him: *You 
beg, but your hands have never worked. Go to the 
kitchen and get your dinner, and here is fifty cents. 
You see this gun and this dog, and you understand 
that I know how to protect myself. If you are still 
here after the next train leaves, I will blow out your 
brains!' " 

And did this man again attempt your life? 

" Not this one, but another. A few days later, as 
I watched some stone-masons at work on a church, I 
was struck by the exceeding awkwardness of one of 
them. Looking closer I recognized another Russian 
detective. Turning to the master-mason, I said: 
'Do you know this man?' He replied: 'No, but the 
late vStrike has made it so hard for me to get work- 
men, that when this man applied I employed him. * 
When I said to the man in his own language, 'Leave 



lO MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

this place immediately, or I will shoot you dead!' 
he required no further permission, and got away in 
a hurry. " 

Had you no other clew to these wicked designs 
than by such as you described? 

*' No other was really necessary. One soon learns 
the peculiar methods of nations in dealing with their 
enemies, and Russia does not easily forgive. The 
unlimited power of the Czar must be incomprehen- 
sible to the inhabitants of a country, where freedom 
of speech, and the liberty of the press, are the inborn 
rights of every citizen ; where no secret fear of 
unexpected and undeserved captivity or punishment 
influences every action, every thought, almost every 
breath one breathes, and every dream one dreams." 

Has the banishment of the Jews from Russia been 
in any way a matter of personal interest to you? 

" None, except that I have learned that among 
them is an old servant of mine, and that he is now 
living in Wilkesbarre. The immense population 
of Russia was composed largely of Jews, and their 
power and influence, although a secret one, was 
sufficiently felt to interfere with, and sometimes inter- 
rupt, the designs of the government. The lower 
classes, it is well known, served the most immoral 
purposes in the hope of getting wealth." 

In what way specially? 

" Many drinking dens of the vilest sort were in the 
hands and under the control of the Jews, while every- 
where they were the acknowledged receivers of 
stolen goods. Famous as successful horse-thieves, 
their different depots for the reception of stolen 



INTRODUCTION. II 

horses were long distances apart, but in every hamlet 
and village through which they passed they were 
sure of protection and non-j3etrayal. Faithful to 
, each other, they were at secret enmity to the rest, 
and their great and ever- increasing numbers made 
their adverse influence one to be dreaded, in so 
haughty and arrogant a nation as Russia," 

Then you are not surprised at this terrible up- 
heaval in Russia, and the persecution of the Jews? 

" Ah, no ! It cannot be to me a matter of astonish- 
ment that the Jews are finally expelled and forever 
banished from Russia and Poland." 

But there must be some good men among this 
great army of sufferers? 

"Among them are many good and honorable men, 
and as such they will be recognized here and every- 
where. But the edict had to include all or none, 
and while the means employed to banish them were 
cruel and severe, Russia can shrug her shoulders 
and show to the world, in her disdainful attitude, 
her indifference to the opinion of all other nations." 

Well, dear Count, we are not only glad to wel- 
come you to America, and to adopt you as one of her 
sons, but, even at^his late day, congratulate you 
upon your escape from all those wicked designs, and 
that you still live to tell about them. 

" Ah, my friends, there is no country in all the 
world like America; and I thank God every day of 
my life that my steps were directed hither, and that 
now in my old age I can enjoy the inestimable bless- 
. ings of perfect liberty of thought, and freedom of 
action, which she bestows." 



CHAPTER I. 

-,; VETERINARY EDUCATION^ 

I SEE you have prepared a lecture for us this even- 
ing, Count, and intend to tell us what these figures 
in plaster-of-paris mean. 

"They represent the anatomy of a horse. I have 
modelled them, for the better understanding of breed- 
ers, owning valuable animals. One outlines the mus- 
cular formation, with all the tendons and ligaments; 
while the other is a complete skeleton, showing 
nature's marvellous arrangement of bones, and the 
working of the intestinal functions. " 

How very cleverly done they are ! 

" Well you see that when a horse is ill from acci- 
dent or disease, his condition is better explained by 
a reference to the models. For instance, when I was 
called lately as a witness in regard to the soundness 
of a horse, I could prove by a drawing submitted to 
the court the condition of the horse's hoofs, which 
were separated from the lamina. The judge, com- 
paring the drawing with the model, saw easily where 
the difficulty lay, and gave a decision in accordance 
with my statements." 

Where did you study, Count? 

" I have my diploma from the Maramonte College 

12 



VETERINARY EDUCATION. I3 

in Warsaw, and, with the title of colonel, was in the 
Pietro Pavosky stud staff of Alexander II. of Russia 
for many years." 

Veterinary surgery is considered an important 
science? 

" In all countries under military rule it ranks with 
the highest of the learned professions. " 

Indeed! you know we rather look down upon a 
man here, who can find nothing better to do than to 
doctor animals. One can hardly insult a physician 
more, than to ask him to set a dog's broken leg or 
otherwise prescribe for him. 

"Yes, but it is very different in Europe. There 
the veterinary students are taken from the best of 
the nobility, from the cleverest and best educated 
sons of gentlemen. In Russia, Germany, Austria, 
and other countries under militar}^ government, 
horses are not sacrificed, if by any amount of care and 
attention, they can be saved. A Russian general 
argues that ignorance is inexcusable, where the ill- 
ness or wounds of a horse are concerned ; and as fine 
horses are scarcer than common soldiers they are well 
taken care of." 

Then the soldiers are not of so much account as 
the horses they ride?^ 

" It is even so. If a soldier or groOm should lose 
a valuable horse through any neglect or oversight, 
he is likely to pay the forfeit with his life!" 

Then the course in veterinary science must be a 
very difficult one? 

"It is, indeed, madam. The rules are strict, the 
examinations very rigid, and it is only after a long 



J 4 MY horse; my love. 

course of hard study that a student receives his 
diploma." 

And in Europe a diploma is really a necessary 
equipment? 

" Certainly, it is there, as here in classical colleges, 
the proof and reward of close and serious study. 
There are seven primary classes which prepare the 
student for practical work, which is at first dis- 
heartening, for with all his book knowledge he seems 
to have nothing to start with. An animal cannot tell 
his ailments, or where the pain is, and the doctor 
must find out for himself. Now, if the student can 
pass an examination he may be assigned to a place in 
the imperial studs ; but at every advancement on the 
military staff, he must pass a new examination, until 
at the end of five years, he becomes a graduate with 
the title of veterinary surgeon and animal doctor." 

Is it possible the course includes five years of 
hard study? 

"No less is sufficient. In nearly all European 
countries the animal doctor advances through mili- 
tary service, aided by the close and practical observa- 
tion of and association with his own horses ; attend- 
ing personally to their needs, even to the blacking 
of their hoofs, albeit his servant may blacken his 
boots. The course includes all that medical science 
teaches whether of biped or quadruped, with feathers 
or without. He must be practical in everything, 
even to the forging and fitting of his horses' shoes, 
a most important thing to know." 

Are there many such colleges in Europe, -and 
which is considered the best?" 



VETERINARY EDUCATION. 15 

"The highest veterinary college for cattle is in 
Switzerland, and that in England ranks next. But 
in Endand the college is not tinder government con- 
trol, a^ it is in Russia, Austria, Germany, France, 
and indeed all European countries under the regime 
of military law. " 

Are they not very strict in those countries regard- 
ing meats and their healthy condition? 

"Indeed, yes, and it is most important every- 
where. In these countries there is a veterinary sur- 
geon on every Board of Health to determine the 
sanitary condition of suspected animals, before they 
are butchered. In Bavaria every hog is examined 
by an animal doctor before it can be sold, to avoid 
trichinosis, and since the horse has been declared 
good for food the fact proves that veterinary science 
has made great strides." 

Then science has proved that horse-flesh is good 

to eat? 

" It has, emphatically so. Horses were formerly 
too expensive to buy for post-mortem examinations. 
Now, if a horse break his leg, and so being useless 
is killed; if, after examination by a veterinary, he 
is pronounced healthy, he can be cut up and eaten. 
The custom has become too common to convey an 
idea of horror as it once did. In some cities there 
are restaurants, where horse-flesh is the only meat 
provided. Then our daily accounts during the siege of 
Paris, and the high esteem in which horse-meat was 
there'held, have helped also to cure us of this idea." 

We might then have saved our shudders, and our 
sympathy for the horse-devouring community. 



1 6 MY horse; my love, 

" They could not starve while having sound horse- 
flesh to live on. Three fourths of the support of al- 
most every country is supplied from the animal king- 
dom, which statement although it may offer a wide 
field for argument, is not difficult of proof. To cite 
an exception : in the tropical parts of Africa there is 
a fly so destructive to animal life that only the goat 
can exist there. The men and women, perforce, are 
beasts of burden, and travellers must walk and carry 
their own luggage. In China, because of the enor- 
mous population, only the very rich can keep cattle 
and horses. Where the population is not so dense 
the animal is freer, healthier, and tougher, not 
stronger nor more speedy, for a wild beast can 
always outrun a domesticated animal. In the 
Orient all animals that sweat only from the tongue 
are considered unclean, while those that sweat from 
the pores, including horse and man, are good for 
daily food." 

Is not that a rather heathenish distinction? 

" The Bible speaks of ' JVi'se men from the East, * 
and in all that pertains to mankind and animals, the 
Orientals have strict laws, founded on the closest 
practical observation, which have become an essen- 
tial part of their religion." 

Then the fact that men sweat from their pores as 
do horses, makes the excuse in the cannibal's mind, 
when he regales himself on a particularly fat and 
toothsome missionary? 

'* Ah, madam, I fear religion plays a small part in 
the cannibal's peculiar appetite. He eats his enemies 
with relish, his neighbors with the blackest hides! 



VETERINARY EDUCATION. I? 

Has not the missionary with his dainty white skin, 
a high courage to put his tempting self withm 
reach of their long arms, much as he may wish to 
convert them to more civilized dishes and ways?'' 

He has indeed. But to return, do you find a 
creditable amount of knowledge among the veter- 
inarians here? . 

- Until within a comparatively recent period very 
few have ever been out of America, unless imported 
from Europe. They did not possess stables of their 
own and were mostly interested only as hired physi- 
cians-not as owners of valuable horses. The finest 
racers in this country come from the least pretentious 
stables, as a stricter, closer personal attention is ex- 
ercised by the proprietor, and important needs are 
not left to the grooms." 



CHAPTER II. 

FACILITIES FOR BREEDING IN AMERICA. 

Where do our best horses come from ? 

"They are imported principally from England. 
From English thoroughbreds we get our hunters, 
runners, trotters, hackneys, post and cart horses, etc. 
Books have been written upon the subject which 
tell about selecting good horses for breeding pur- 
poses, but they have not yet learned how to get a 
good horse from poor parents." 

But is that possible? 

" Certainly it is. They understand the result of 
certain combinations, but with all the wonderful 
facilities in America, men have yet to learn how to 
mate horses, so as to be sure of securing one.thatwill 
trot in two minutes, all the way to one that will trot 
in 1 :5o. They do not understand how to combine 
the breeds, so that the inbred, so far, is only occasion- 
ally good. To mate extremes, such as the Arabian 
with the Shetland pony, is not to produce good 
results. In mating, the mechanical proportions of a 
horse, together with lungs of great volume and capa- 
bility, are of the highest importance to consider. 
From endurance you get the greatest speed, but from 

the speediest horses never endurance. Physiological 

i8 



FACILITIES FOR BREEDING IN AMERICA. I9 

laws in mating should be well understood. So, 
instead of one phenomenally good, once in a while, 
it would be the rule to secure always the finest 
animals. In America there is everything to favor 
the highest development to which the horse can 
attain." 

What are the special facilities in America? 

" First, there is immense wealth and a generous 
inclination to spend it ; second, the great diversity 
of climate agrees with the horse, if not always with 
man ; and, third, food is never lacking, there being 
also a great diversity in hay, certain herbs growing 
among the grass, which are exceedingly nutritious and 
delicious to the palate of a horse. Then the country 
is wide, the air is pure and invigorating." 

You think horses prefer the country? 

"They delight in the open freedom of air and 
space. If living in confined places, too close to man- 
kind, they will contract similar diseases, and men will 
also be affected more or less through contagion." 

Is it possible that human beings have the same 
diseases as horses? 

" The illnesses of both bear a close resemblance, 
though producing different phenomena, as in per- 
sons. Colic in horses is very alarming and distress- 
ing, and extremely dangerous to life, if not taken in 
time. It is far more severe than in man, and if not 
speedily cured may make an invalid for life of the 
animal." 

What medicines are used for colic? 

" Strong opiates are the surest remedy. Sun- 
stroke is easily managed, if understood, is not at all 



20 MY horse; mv love. 

■uncommon, being frequently taken for blind stag- 
gers, although the symptoms differ somewhat. " 

What diseases are incurable? 

" Physical malformation and glanders. A horse 
afflicted with glanders should be shot more quickly 
than you would shoot a mad dog. He should be 
buried deep with plenty of quicklime to cover him. 
The disease is so infectious that the flies carry it, 
and with it infection to human beings as well as to 
other animals. La grippe bears a close resemblance 
to glanders though in a much milder form, but if a 
man takes glanders from a horse there is no cure for 
him." 

Are the symptoms easily recognized? 

*' The symptoms of other diseases not dangerous, 
are sometimes similar to, and mistaken for, glanders. 
Only the other day, I was called in great haste, to see 
seven valuable horses, condemned to be shot by the 
attending veterinary. As I could not discover the 
leading signs of glanders, I examined them carefully, 
and could assure the owner that they had been un- 
justly condemned." 

He must have been delighted to hear it. 

" The expression of relief on his unhappy face, 
showed that Hope had entered into his heart. One 
of the horses had already suffered the sentence of 
death, so in order to be sure he requested me to make 
a post-mortem examination. I did so, at once, and 
finding no yellow spot on the liver, heart, kidneys, 
or other interior organs, I could assure him, that his 
fears were groundless, and that his horses could be 
cured." 



FACILITIES FOR BREEDING IN AMERICA. 2 1 

Aiid did they all live? 

" Ah, yes, madame. Every one of them is now at 
work and as well as ever. " 

Only yesterday I read of a man dying from 
glanders. He tried so hard to cure his beautiful 
horse, but he caught the disease and both fell victims. 
Is it possible to mend a broken leg? 

" It depends somewhat upon the locality of the 
break, and the value of the horse. I had a valuable 
mare hanging in the 'cradle* for four months, hav- 
ing set her leg, put it in splints, and covered it with 
a plaster-of-paris jacket. When the inevitable stiff- 
ness had worn off she trotted as well as ever ; but 
the cure of course required the greatest care, and 
was attended by very great expense as well as much 
discomfort, not suffering, to the mare on account of 
her enforced position." 

But it was well worth the trouble, was it not? 
Other animals are always killed, I understand." 

*' Not always. A year ago I set the broken leg of 
a little calf, which has now grown into a fine heifer, 
and indicates in no way her previous misfortune. A 
valuable dog should never be shot for a broken leg, 
when there is a chance to save him. Many a dog's 
leg I have set and every time have gained a warm, 
true friend. " 



CHAPTER III. 

THE SENSE OF SMELL IN THE HORSE. 

Of course, Count, you have read what Madame de 
Stael says, that " the sense of smell is the noblest of 
the senses." Is it the keenest sense in the horse? 

" While the senses of sight and hearing are preter- 
naturally acute, even more so than in dogs, the sense 
of smell is exceedingly fine. It answers to the com- 
bined senses of touch, taste, and smell in man. If a 
horse can investigate an object to his satisfaction 
with his nose, he no longer fears it. " 

Is this true with regard to the steam-engine, that 
bete iioir of the horse? 

"He may see and hear a steam engine, and through 
these senses exhibit fear and anxiety to get away 
from it. But if once coaxed close and held firmly 
near it, and made to smell of it, he will never show or 
feel the same fear again, and aided by sight and 
hearing can soon be broken to its various manifesta- 
tions of noise — escaping steam, whistle, and shriek." 

Then it is important to take him close enough to 
the locomotive, to let him smell it in order to break 
him properly? 

*' His nose will convince him of its harmlessness, 
when eyes and ears fail." 

How can he conquer his fear of wild beasts, even 

22 



THE SENSE OF SMELL IN THE HORSE. 2$ 

when they are caged or tamed — he surely smells 
them? 

"To his natural enemies, even in bondage — the 
lion and tiger and other carnivorous animals — he 
manifests a strong aversion; but if his nose can be 
rubbed with something from their cages, even the 
straw in which they lie, he will no longer fear their 
terrible roar and will pass them by in lofty indiffer- 
ence. Whether the smell of the cage conveys the 
idea of captivity it is hard to tell, but these are 
facts easily proved." 

Is it not wonderful how horses seem to enjoy the 
excitement of battle? 

" The horse hates blood, but rub it on his nose, 
as the soldiers sometimes do before going into battle, 
and he will no longer shun it. It is the unexpected 
and the unsmelled that so scares even the most amiable 
animal. In his master whom he loves, he places 
wonderful and abiding confidence, and appreciates 
the decision and determination coupled with kind- 
ness, that will finally conquer him. When other 
efforts have failed he will follow his example and 
will take the plunge into deep water which he has 
refused, if his master plunge in first and will swim 
with him." 

Ah, yes! I have read many a traveller's tale, 
how he has been saved from impending death through 
the simple discretion, instructive wisdom, and more 
than human endurance of his horse. I am sure you 
must have many such experiences. 

" I will relate to you one, which seems even to me 
almost incredible. Being wounded in battle, and 



24 MY horse; my love. 

falling from my horse unconscious, the noble creat- 
ure seized my clothing in his teeth, and lifting me 
from the ground, carried me to a safe distance. 
Three times in the course of this removal I recov- 
ered consciousness, when he would lay me down 
again most carefully. Each time I found myself 
farther away from the scene of battle, and at last 
began to revive. Some of my regiment had fol- 
lowed us, but brave Omar would allow nobody to 
approach me, standing guard defiantly over me, 
until my own servant arrived. " 

How dearly you must have loved so noble an 
animal! Where did you find one of such rare intelli- 
gence? 

" Omar II. was of the pure Nedj breed of Arabia, 
the rarest and finest in all the world. His father, 
Omar I., I obtained by stratagem (as well as his 
mother, Ansha), leaving in his place $15,000 in gold, 
as these horses are never bought or sold. Omar II. 
had been my especial pet and charge since his birth, 
and a more perfect animal never lived." 



CHAPTER IV. 
nature's vinaigrette. 

I HAVE often wondered, Count, what the dry gray 
warts on the inside of each foreleg of the horse and 
about the size of a silver dollar could be intended for. 
They are the only spot on all his beautiful body that 
could be called unsightly, and so I questioned an 
owner and breeder of fine horses. 

"And what did he tell you?" 

He said that he had thought the osselets, for so 
he called them, a sort of safety-valve through which 
the blood was rid of its impurities. So when one of 
his horses had " scratches" he peeled off the layers 
as close as he could, and watched the results. When 
the " scratches" went away he attributed the cure to 
what he had done, but admitted that it may have 
had no influence. He thought also that when the 
horse rubs his nose against his legs he may be trying 
to peel off the layers and thus get relief from some 
little ailment. Is this your theory also. Count? 

"Ah, madam, that is a question that has been 
asked over and over again by men of science, of 
deep practical learning and observation, without dis- 
covering any satisfactory reply. I have made experi- 
ments, and have come to a conclusion that is bound 
to meet with doubt, possibly scorn, from those who 

25 



26 MY horse; my love. 

always doubt and from the ignorant and unthinking. 
But I am satisfied of the truth of my discovery." 

Pray tell me about it, for these osselets seem to 
be of no possible use. 

" Everybody who loves horses and observes their 
ways, will have noticed that after a long and fatiguing 
journey, or sustained and tiresome work, the horse 
will rub his nose, first on the inside of one foreleg and 
again on the other, tossing his head meanwhile, 
throwing it about and taking long deep breaths of 
relief and satisfaction." 

Yes, I have very often noticed it. 

" I believe that Nature has furnished to our domes- 
tic slave the noblest of all God's brute creation, her 
vinaigrette and restorative. When the weary, over- 
taxed animal, sweating at every pore, and covered 
with foam, can reach down and rub with his wet 
nose, this always dry hard substance, he is instantly 
refreshed with an odor like that of geranium. Toss- 
ing his head with delight, and sniffing perceptibly, 
he applies again and again his wet nose to this boim- 
tiful, secret, and cunningly arranged restorative, and 
is thus fortified and strengthened sufficiently to re- 
sume his journey." 

And have you really tested this v/onderful theory 
to your own satisfaction? 

" To test my belief I removed from one of my 
horses these warts in the foreleg over which the 
skin grew healthily, but the horse never showed the 
same endurance, and his value was diminished by 
half. In another case when I experimented, an 
eruption broke out over the healing wound, and the 



NATURE S VINAIGRETTE. 27 

poor animal soon grew so lame and useless that he 
had to be shot, a sacrifice to science. These two 
experiments were sufficient, I think, to test the won- 
derful truth of what I have said. By wetting the 
fingers and rubbing them on these dry warts the 
unmistakable odor of geranium thus generated must 
carry conviction to the most unbelieving. " 

Is it the same whether in horses of pure or impure 
breeding and blood? 

" The higher the breed and the purer the blood, 
the more pronounced is the odor ; and small osselets 
indicate fine breeding. The native Arabian in his 
swift and never-ending joumeyings to and fro in 
the scorching heat of the unprotected desert, with 
scant food and most limited supplies of water, draws 
constant stimulant from this, Nature's nosegay; 
and the weary cavalry horse, on forced marches, lets 
his head droop lower and lower to catch, perchance, 
one more whiff of the grateful and sustaining odor." 

Your argument would be a powerful one against 
the bearing-rein, but are other animals similarly 
provided? 

" It is a remarkable fact in natural history that 
every race, whether of man or beast, and every- 
thing that has life, which grows in or from the 
ground, is distinguished by its own peculiar odor. 
This odor is agreeable or not, according to its deli- 
cacy or the strength to which it is developed. " 

And has it a similar purpose? 

" In many cases it is bestowed by Nature's wonder- 
ful forethought, as a means of offense or defense, and 
many animals carry with them a well-supplied vinai- 



28 MY horse; my love. 

grette which, in times of exhaustion, they turn to and 
inhale exceeding refreshment therefrom. In some 
the odor is perceptible to themselves only, while in 
others it is such a powerful means of defense as to 
make the pursuing victim wish he had never been 
born, which floods cannot drown nor fires quench, if 
any part escape, and only six feet of earth can extin- 
guish." 

I know of one, are there others? 

" Notably among these is the musk antelope, 
which sends forth such a powerful odor of musk that 
even at the distance of one hundred yards he can 
smother his enemy to death. " 

Is musk never made from plants? 

" Musk is entirely an animal perfume, and is 
contained in a bag situated near the perineum, 
which, by muscular contraction or expansion, the 
animal can control at will. Experienced hunters 
know that when shooting, even at longest rifle range, 
a musk antelope or a mountain goat, if the wind be 
blowing toward them from the animal, they must 
immediately drop and bury their faces in the ground, 
or the last effort of the expiring animal will carry to 
them also certain death. " 

What accounts for the very perceptible odor of 
musk in some churches in Europe? 

" In Constantinople the Mohammedan Mosque of 
Sofia is pervaded always by a strong smell of musk. 
In order to supply this perfume, which was freely 
mixed with the mortar and cement which bound 
together the stones, thousands upon thousands of the 
musk antelopes were slaughtered. Thus, while one 



NATURE S VINAIGRETTE. 29 

Stone is left upon another of this ancient and inter- 
esting building, the odor of musk must remain to 
refresh or to annoy its visitors, according as the sense 
is affected." 

Has musk not some medicinal qualities? 

" Taken internally after being dissolved in water, 
the substance of this little bag is said to be an excel- 
lent specific for pulmonary diseases. It is, too, a 
well-known fact that the negroes of the South value 
highly — and are not deterred by the necessarily close 
and nauseous proximity to obtain it — the substance 
of the pole-cat as a sure cure for rheumatism as well 
as for coughs and colds." 

Then the odor of musk belongs to many animals? 

" Musk is probably the most common of animal 
perfume, or at least the one which we are best able 
to recognize. The muskrat, inhabiting our own ponds 
and ditches, is greatly in demand by the compounder 
of perfumes, and it is a species of jollification to 
hunt them, which dogs and negroes enter into with 
excited zest. In all thoroughbred cattle there is a 
small cavity in the head, immediately between, and 
at the root of, the horns. By rubbing the fingers in 
this cavity a distinctodor of musk will be perceptible 
in them." 

How in this position can it refresh the animal? 

"That is Nature's secret, betrayed only to the 
owner of it." 

Have I not heard that beavers betray themselves 
by a peculiar odor? 

" Yes, beavers emit an odor, well known to hunters 
of them, in which it seems that Nature cruelly favors 



30 MY horse; my love. 

their enemies. The poor little industrious creatures, 
so valuable for their pretty fur, fancying themselves 
secure in their hidden dams, reveal by this freak of 
Nature their hiding-places, and thus become easy 
victims to covetous man." 

Are not foxes an easier prey for the same reason? 

"When the hunted fox is sore bested and the 
hounds are gaining upon him steadily and surely, he 
will be seen suddenly to turn himself round and 
round, v^ith bewildering rapidity, and with his head 
and tail in close proximity. After several of these 
revolutions, he makes a sudden spurt and soon gains 
a great advantage of distance between himself and 
his pursuers ; and if luck be with him he may escape. 
Many a huntsman through a long life has chased the 
fox with enthusiastic ardor, who would be surprised 
to know, that in the very tip of his tail or brush is a 
little bunch of hairs, from twenty-five to thirty in 
number, which gives forth to the despairing and 
almost vanquished beast, the refreshing and stimu- 
lating odor of violets." 

How very wonderful ! 

" With this choice vinaigrette of Nature's furnish- 
ing the hunted creature is sustained. " 

Then this simple fact may explain why the hunters 
return in such unsatisfied humor? 

" Ah, I have laughed to hear them making the air 
blue, with vengeful threats against the sly old fellow 
never yet run to earth, and who again and again has 
outwitted them." 

But does not the fact help the hounds also? 

" Doubtless the hounds with their keen scent, fol- 



nature's vinaigrette. 31 

low with delight this delicious perfume, and find it 
an added incentive to their murderous designs. 
Deprive a fox of his brush and let him go, and the 
subsequent sport of catching him will be of very 
short duration ; for his run will soon come to an end, 
and the whole pack of huntsmen and hounds will be 
in at the death. " 

Madame de Stael's idea of the sense of smell may 
have been founded on some such knowledge, and she 
may have had a long nose as well as a large foot. 

" How so, madam?" 

You have heard of Talleyrand's retort at the 
masked ball when she challenged him for recogni- 
tion: '''' C'est Men facile de recon7iaitre la statue par le pied 
deStaeir'^ 

"Ah, I remember, but it was a cruel thrust of 
Talleyrand's." 

* It is very easy to recognize the statue by the (pedestal) foot of Stael 



CHAPTER V. 

ARABIA. 

Your visits to Arabia must have been very inter- 
esting, Count! Have you been there often? 

"Ah, yes, madam, many times. I have lived 
among the Arabs in their tents for months at a time, 
travelling with them in their journeyings from place 
to place; penetrating into the very depths of the 
desert, and longing with them for the sight of an 
oasis after the intense heat of the day. " 

Then you speak their language? 

" That goes without saying, and many of their 
dialects also, which are important to know." 

Had you any special object beyond the love of 
travel, to induce you to spend so much time with 
them, and were they always friendly? 

" To me they were always friendly, for the reason 
that some of their remote ancestors were mine also, 
and with them nothing is so strong as the ties of 
blood. Their pride of race is one of their strongest 
characteristics, since they can trace back their ances- 
try for thousands of years. For aliens and strangers 
they have a certain contemptuous pity, as not belong- 
ing to them, as well as much distrust and suspicion." 

I have heard the old adage, '' In the desert no one 
meets a friend. " 

32 



ARABIA. • 33 

"Yes, it is one they verify daily, unless the rites 
of hospitality have already been offered, and bread 
has been broken with the stranger in the 'tents of 
Shem. * But they have certain unmistakable signs to 
show that their entertainment is at an end, and no 
hesitation then in declaring themselves at enmity." 

Are their manners agreeable? 

"The sheiks have a grave and haughty dignity in 
their bearing, and polished manners, so affable that 
they can quickly secure the attachment of neighbor- 
ing tribes. Gifted with a courage never yielding 
and never dying, they are also born traders, and 
soon acquire great influence in their surroundings." 

You must have made opportunities to learn every- 
thing possible about their famous horses? 

" My object in visiting the Arabs was always to 
purchase horses, and while I was prepared for trickery 
and even treachery in their dealings, I succeeded, 
even if stratagem were the means. They knew I 
was not to be deceived easily, and the remote ties of 
consanguinity had its influence. " 

How do they deal with strangers? 

" If a man comes armed with wealth and might, 
desiring to purchase a favorite horse, the Arab will 
plunge into the desert, inaccessible except to the 
native, and there hide himself and his horse until 
the danger of losing him is past. But if the intend- 
ing purchaser brings only money, he had better have 
stayed at home, for the Arab will first kill and then 
plunder him. They are notorious highwaymen and 
the laws of their country shield, rather than punish 
such misdoings." 
3 



34 MY horse; my love. 

It is said that Arabian horses have deteriorated, 
Count. Can it be true? 

" Indeed, no. It is impossible for the true Arab 
horse to deteriorate so long as the Arab tribes follow 
the same laws, and so jealously guard their rare breeds 
from loss by sale or theft. " 

But we are said to have many Arabian horses here 
in Europe and South America? 

" They have a race of horses called the Levantine, 
which they offer in exchange for money and mer- 
chandise. These horses have excellent points, are 
showy, handsome, well-trained, and in every way 
desirable, but they no more compare with the true 
Arab breeds than a clumsy cart-horse to the swift 
runner." 

Are there many distinct breeds? 

" There are but five, and every one entirely differ- 
ent and with distinctive marks. Those most highly 
prized, most rare and valuable are the Nedj and 
Osman. The other three, the Abdalla, Mohammed, 
and Dakir, although of blood as pure and as impos- 
sible to obtain by purchase, have not the same match- 
less beauty." 

But were not the horses presented to General Grant 
thoroughbred Arabs? 

" There are many conflicting opinions regarding 
these horses, and their claim to being the thorough- 
bred Arabs of the desert. It was thought they must 
be so because they were presented by the Sultan, but 
if you asked an Arab he would tell you the Sultan 
never owned one of these rare breeds, and never had 
one in his stables." 



ARABIA. 35 

Have you ever seen Leopard, or Linden Tree, 
whose arrival in this country made such a sensation? 

*' No, madam, and never having seen them I cannot 
express any opinion. Among horsemen in Europe 
who study the different breeds, it is believed 
they belonged to the Levantine family, being showy, 
stylish, strong, and with many fine points." 

Have you any other reason for believing so? 

" As I have said before, these rare breeds which I 
have mentioned, are considered so precious that 
every precaution is taken, not only by the owners, 
but by the whole tribe, to prevent their loss, by 
sale or intrigue. The Arabs, with all their peculiar 
creeds of hospitality, have never arrived at that 
state of civilization which could induce them to give 
away such treasures. If an owner should be tempted 
by an enormous price to part with a mare or stallion 
— there are no geldings — he would be put to death by 
his tribe, while the man who had the temerity to 
seek such a purchase, must do so at the risk of his life. " 

They must take peculiar measures to prevent 
their loss. 

" Every horse lives inside his owner's tent and is 
the pet and delight~of the women and children, and 
quite as much a part of the family. Their intelli- 
gence is almost human, as they answer in obedience 
to every word, and are so trained as to help their 
owners in defeating any attempt to carry them off." 

The endurance of the Arab horse is very remark- 
able, I have heard, Count. 

" It is almost inconceivable. From the days when 
Noah's ark settled on Mount Aararat and his sons 



36 



MY horse; my love. 




ARABIA. 37 



descended to the plains of Shinar, or from those of 
Nimrod, his great-grandson, the mighty hnnter,* 
down to the present day, the Ar a : r a ? ^t e e- bred to 
endnre long days of continuoas toil. 5e~.s:^rvation, 
and thirst," 



CHAPTER VI. 

FAMOUS ARABIAN HORSES. 

I HAVE heard the saying, " Never let an animal lose 
its sticking flesh." 

"Yes, it is an axiom with English breeders. The 
Arab foal, on the contrary, while it may enjoy for 
the first few months of its young life, the pastures 
and watered plains of 'Araby the blest,* endures 
great privations. Its tender little feet must trot 
along after its mother on many a forced march, sub- 
sisting on the scantiest of fare, and esteeming a little 
camel's milk the greatest of luxuries. These are 
hardships for the baby Arab, not lightened by the 
fierce and perpendicular rays of the sun on his head 
and spine, and the blistering sands under his feet." 

One cannot wonder that his growth is somewhat 
stunted, for Arabs are small, are they not? 

" Yes, they are small ; but what the Arab lacks in 
grandeur of physique, as seen in the English thor- 
oughbred, the Percheron, or the enormous coach 
horses now so fashionable, he makes up in his per- 
fect proportion, his proud and dainty and graceful 
mien and bearing, his never-failing courage, his 
iron constitution, his delightful temper and disposi- 
tion, his entire soundness, and his extraordinary 

38 



FAMOUS ARABIAN HORSES. 39 

ability to travel great distances with untiring 
speed." 

The last quality is a necessary one, when you are 
running away with somebody else's property, eh, 
Count? 

" Ah, I see you refer to Omar I. He was famous, 
and now belongs to the Empress of Austria, the 
finest horsewoman in Europe. For three days and 
nights he travelled over the hot and barren plains of 
the Arabian desert with but two quarts of barley for 
food, and an occasional tuft of the Sahara clover. 
Only twice was there water found for him to drink. 
Fleet as a bird he ran, seemingly unconscious of his 
burden, and arrived at the wall before Cairo, appar- 
ently as fresh as when he started. The two Slughi, 
enormous greyhounds called antelope catchers, 
which were a part of Omar's outfit, always travelling 
with him, were lagging many rods behind, footsore 
and utterly bested. But Omar neighed cheerfully, 
encouraging them to approach, and promising to 
them, rest and refreshment in his sympathetic whin- 
nies." 

Oh, pray describe him. He must have been won- 
derful to look at ! 

" His skin was black, and shone through a fine 
glossy coat of silver-gray hair; his mane full and 
long, and his tail, which swept the ground, were 
pink. About fifteen hands high, in form the most 
beautiful that can be imagined in any four-footed 
animal, he was fleet as the wind, graceful as the 
antelope, trained to every agile movement, and with 
an endurance inconceivable. In disposition faultless, 



40 MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

kind, gentle, caressing, and obedient, he had never 
known whip or spur, or even a harsh word, giving 
always the best he knew." 

Does he still live? 

" He was alive when last I heard, having carried 
the Empress of Austria during her journeyings 
through Ireland. He is now forty years old, and 
still in his prime, as the Arab horses are as long- 
lived as a man." 

Do they make good war-horses? 

** In battle, their extraordinary evolutions remind 
one of the gyratory movements of the swallow when 
it flies. They turn and wheel with such rapidity, 
that it is almost impossible to get a shot at them, and 
if they run, nothing can catch them, their wonderful 
wisdom and cunning leading them and their riders 
out of difficulties the most serious. " 

Where are they found? 

"In Mecca, Medina, Palestine, and the Persian 
Gulf are found the Nedj and Osman. They have 
the Abdalla race in the Atlas Mountains, as well as 
between Afghanistan and the Persian Mountains, 
where live also the Dakir and Mohammed breeds. 
These horses descend as heirlooms from father to 
son, and no possession is so precious as these exqui- 
site animals." 

They also can prove a long ancestry? 

"Their pedigree is carefully preserved with that 
of the family's own, and their names descend as do 
those of the generations of kings. Sometimes many 
or all the members of a tribe will be each a part 
sharer in a horse, and this horse is left by will to a 



FAMOUS ARABIAN HORSES. 4I 

successor. One cannot sell his share without permis- 
sion from the /est, be he ever so much in need ; and 
it must be a most unusual circumstance which could 
gain such permission." 

Is there not some strange legend concerning Ara- 
bian horses, Count? 

" Yes, and it is said to be a true one. The legend 
is this : During the reign of Mohammed he sent his 
grand vizier with his army in the hope of conquer- 
ing China. For five years they travelled over moun- 
tain and valley, through forest and desert, climbing 
rocky precipices to descend on the other side into 
the rivers and streams. Unparalleled hardships 
befell them on their long journey thither and were 
not lightened on their return, inasmuch as every 
horse died on the road except five beautiful mares. 
From these and the Dzigguetai (pronounced Gigati) 
are descended the five rare breeds so closely guarded 
by the Arab tribes." 

What are the Dzigguetai? 

" They are the wild Arabian stallions of the desert, 
outmatching and outwitting the wary and cunning 
Arab in his various, d^evices to approach them, never 
letting them get nearer than half a mile. After ex- 
hausting every other artifice, the Arabs have lain 
concealed in the desert by being buried in the sand 
for days and nights, in their fruitless efforts to 
secure them. But these untamed and untamable 
creatures, with their intelligent instinct, ever scented 
danger from afar, and kept their half-mile distance 
between themselves and their would-be captors. 
Their strength and endurance are greater than that 



42 • MY horse; my love. 

of the Mohari, the desert camel, and they are far 
more fleet. These powerful runners brook no rider, 
no whip, spur, or bridle, nor have they ever been 
captured or broken by man." 

How, then, could they be made useful? 

" In this dilemma it occurred to the far-seeing 
Arabian, that this race could at least be perpetuated 
and improved, by arranging some equine marriages. 
Picketing the five beautiful mares near their hunt- 
ing-grounds, they were offered as brides to the 
Dzigguetai and accepted. The result gave every- 
thing most valued in the horse, as well as his match- 
less beauty. " 

Do they differ greatly in color and appearance? 

" The Nedj and Osman have always a black skin 
under their coat, whether it be white or black. The 
Osman is usually the color of a golden chestnut or 
blood cherry, with dark mane and tail, while these 
equipments in the Nedj are pink or rose-colored. 
The Abdallah are a warm gray, inclining to black, 
with dark mane and tail — the Arabian term to ex- 
press their color, translated, meaning green. The 
Mahomet is light brown or caf^ au lait in color, 
sometimes dark enough to be called bay. The 
Dakir is a dark shining brown, and the manes and 
tails of all are long, fine, and full, but not heavy." 

Do they wear shoes? A great traveller, one who had 
lived in South America, and there owned Arabian 
horses, told me they were never shod in that country. 

"As their hoofs are hard as iron they need no 
shoes, and die at an advanced age without having 
ever worn them. " 



FAMOUS ARABIAN HORSES. 43 

What are the distinguishing marks by which one 
can tell an Arabian? 

" The pure bred Arab is small, with such fineness 
of skin that through it the veins can be clearly- 
traced. The head is small and lean, with bold open 
nostrils, thin as cardboard. Very broad between 
tbe eyes, which are large and soft, and look at you 
with an expression of human intelligence. Ears 
small and erect, fine and thin as a kid glove. Mane 
full and long, not heavy. Tail almost touching 
the earth when standing, but lifted out when in 
motion, and waving to and fro like an ostrich plume. 
Thighs, fore and hind, immense. The frontal bone 
below the knees very slender and round like a finger 
when viewed from the front ; from the side it appears 
wide and muscular. Hoofs very small, hard, and pol- 
ished. Height from fourteen to fifteen hands. 
Gait an even stretching gallop, which never trem- 
bles and never tires, sure-footed as a mule, and ten- 
der-tempered as a baby. " 

Your description is enchanting, but only convinces 
me that I have never seen a thoroughbred Arab. Is 
there no more to be Told of the Dzigguetai, Count? 

" I had a convincing experience that they can 
travel from two to three hundred miles, in twelve 
consecutive hours, in order to drink from a certain 
clear cold spring in one of the oasis, and to feed on 
the dainty nourishing grass there." 

O Count, that seems incredible ! 

"I realize that the statement sounds most exagger- 
ated, and I myself could hardly believe that flesh and 
blood could equal the locomotive's speed. I have 



44 MY horse; my love. 

lain concealed with the Arabs behind the rocks and 
buried up to my neck in sand, hoping they might 
thus approach us more nearly. vStationed at a certain 
oasis in the desert, over loo miles distant, were men 
to note the time of their arrival there. How they 
flew past us in the half-mile distance! It was like 
watching an express train disappearing from view, 
while the thunder of their many hoofs scarce lasted 
longer than the roar of a passing train! They had 
method in their going, and a leader whom they fol- 
lowed. Their bellies hugged the ground, as their 
slender legs carried them on with long strides and 
an easy motion, in which there was no haste, but 
immense untiring speed, and infinite lightness and 
grace. For twelve hours we waited and watched for 
their return, and were finally rewarded by hearing 
approach the sound of their many hoofs, and could 
see them fly past us with undiminished speed, on 
their return. My men stationed so far off had noted 
there, carefully, the time of their arrival. By com- 
paring it with that of their return, which I witnessed, 
I make no exaggeration in my statement. To be 
still more sure I tested these facts many times." 



CHAPTER VII. 

PEDIGREE OF ARABIAN HORSES. 

Have I not heard, Count, that the true-bred Arab 
has concealed marks by which to be identified? 

•* On every Arab, born and reared in the desert 
and belonging to the families mentioned, are to be 
seen certain fine marks, intelligible only to the 
initiated. When the colt is young a very fine hot 
iron, like a needle, is made to write certain marks 
and lines on the forelegs, to the right and left of the 

o 

breast, something like this, ^ but differing on 

either side. " 

Is it not a painful operation? 

" No, for it is done too quickly to be very painful. 
Several of these needles are heated at the same 
time, in burning camel's manure. One is taken up, 
a stroke or two made with it, and replaced in the 
heated mass. Then another is used and so on, until 
the delicate, but perceptible branding is finished. 
The skin heals rapidly, and the young colt carries 
the long list of his ancestors about with him, for the 
rest of his natural life." 

But does not the hair grow over and cover these 
slight marks? 

" The hair never grows long enough to cover them 

45 



46 MY horse; my love. 

entirely: hence, by the uninitiated, and even by 
travellers and horsemen who should know better, 
they have been called 'blemishes,' and 'disfiguring' 
marks. ' An Arab's first glance at a horse is for these 
important signs. The more marks the horse has the 
longer his pedigree, and the more he is to be coveted. 
The blood has been kept pure for so many centuries, 
that any stain in it derived from possible cross- 
breeding, would be considered ineradicable forever. 
I will show you the picture of Gherka, an exqui- 
site Arab, whom I owned many years ago, and who 
was shot under me in battle." 

But she has marks on her flanks also! 

"Certainly! That on the hind flank represents 
her family, which was Nedj. The one on the shoul- 
der signifies the province, Oran, where she was born, 
and the name of the tribe 'Kehilan' is that to which 
she belonged." 

She wouldn't have found it easy to lose herself, 
thus adorned with her family history; but I imagine 
few foreign eyes have ever beheld an Arabian of 
such absolutely pure blood? 

"Very few travelers who have penetrated into the 
desert for the purpose, have ever been rewarded by 
the sight of these, as they are hidden away from 
strangers; and other breeds of shorter pedigree, and 
far less value, are brought forward to show their 
paces, and perchance bring an incredible price to 
their astute owners!" 

Are these marks not very hard to read? 

"To the scholar learned in cabalistic lore these 
hieroglyphics are easily read, for beginning with the 



PEDIGREE OF ARABIAN HORSES. 



47 




X 

X 



48 MY horse; my love. 

father and mother they indicate the ancestors for 
many g-enerations back. Should any one buy a 
horse so marked in America or elsewhere, he will 
behold a thoroughbred Arab, but without these 
marks he is not one." 

Why are they marked on both legs? 

" The signs on the left foreleg indicate the femi- 
nine side of descent, the mother, grandmother, great- 
grandmother, etc. On the right, the masculine side, 
the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, etc. An 
Arab regards the father of a family of very little 
account, compared to the mother, whether of man 
or horse." 

Is not that contrary to most precedent? 

" As a plurality of wives is an essential element 
in the domestic economy of the Arab tribes, the 
question of a man's title to distinction, and indeed, 
almost his identity, must be established by the fact 
of who is his mother. She belongs to the man who 
has bought her of her father, as do his other wives; 
and when she is established in his household, he sets 
his eunuch to watch her, that no doubt of her virtue 
may distract his thoughts, or fill his mind with uneasy 
jealousies." 

Then each of his numerous offspring is the pro- 
verbial "wise child" in his day and generation? 

" Most emphatically so, but to offset the duties of 
the watchful eunuch, to themother and wife is shown 
the highest respect. A man or child may not sit 
in the presence of his mother without her gracious 
permission, and to her wisdom and judgment all 
important questions are submitted. The Arabs 



PEDIGREE OF ARABIAN HORSES. 49 

hold this same peculiar tenet with regard to their 
horses. Nothing will induce them to part with a 
mare of any rare breed, and because of their sex they 
are more highly esteemed and more favored. So in 
speaking of a man or stallion the question is always, 
not who is his father, but who is his mother?" 

Have the horses in Russia any special value or 
characteristics? 

"The native Turcoman horses are closely allied 
with the Arabian. They are exceedingly tough, 
wild, and difficult to tame and teach. So obstinate 
are they and so wicked that given a good chance 
they will kill their rider or keeper, and failing this, 
will persistently refuse to eat and thus starve to 
death, rather than obey." 
Is it possible to break them? 

"Ah, yes! Once broken, however, no breed of 
horses is more reliable or intelligent, or so suscep- 
tible to the highest training. To the newly-enlisted 
soldier is. given the well-trained horse, which in 
time trains and teaches the soldier, answering to the 
word of commandrin the drill, and going through its 
intricate evolutions with automatic precision, without 
the aid of spur, whip, or even bridle. In this way 
the new soldier is taught." 

And what about the new horses? 
"Ah, madam, it is another matter when new 
horses come to be trained in military tactics. Then 
the old soldier's experience is required, and it is to 
him that the new horse is given to be broken to 
martial ways and sounds." 

When do ordinary horses reach their prime? 
4 



50 MY horse; my love. 

" Divide a man's age by three and you will under- 
stand his comparative relation to the horse, in point 
of attainment." 

Then a horse comes of age, so to speak, when he 
is seven years old, as a man does when he is 
twenty-one? 

" Certainly, and when he is five he compares to 
the lad of fifteen, having had such judicious training 
as befits his youth. When he is three, he knows as 
much as the boy of nine, and only so much should 
be expected of him. In the proud owner's haste 
to show off and develop the fine points of his young 
horse, he overlooks the fact that his strength is being 
tried too early, while his bones are yet too soft for 
hard work. " 

Should not young horses spend the first two or 
three years of their lives in the open field? 

"Any other idea is a most mistaken one. They 
should live in the open air until their dentition is 
complete, so as to draw from the nourishing grass 
and herbs such tonic as their growing systems 
need, as well as to develop the full and natural 
play of their limbs." 

Is it not also a great mistake to test the speed of a 
young horse toosoon? 

" Because a young horse can run very fast for a 
short distance, it does not follow he must be imme- 
diately trained to run long distances in a specified 
time, without suffering from it. It is to this mistake 
that so many fast and promising horses owe their 
short lives or crippled condition." 

Therefore, Count, you would say ** Make haste 



PEDIGREE OF ARABIAN HORSES. 5 1 

slowly" should be the motto of him who sees a rare 
promise in his pretty, playful, and petted young colt? 
" Unless he wants to see him condemned to earn 
his living on the monotonous track of the street car, 
or pulling about timid women and children in remote 
country districts, when he might have become a 
famous racer, surrounded by admirers and enjoying 
every care and attention his great money value could 
demand." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

IT IS THE BLOOD THAT TELLS. 

The primacy of the Arabian horse has never been 
doubted, has it, Count, even by the most sceptical? 

"Their origin is historical from the time of Noah. 
Notwithstanding all the difficulties attending their 
purchase they have still entered Europe and other 
countries as war-trophies — in a very few instances as 
gifts — and again many have been stolen. Few have 
been exchanged for money or merchandise, but all 
countries need the infusion of their blood to fortify 
and strengthen the best qualities." 

What nations have been specially successful in 
obtaining them? 

" The national horses of Austria, Hungary, France, 
and Italy owe their foundation blood to the Arab. 
The famous Russian Orloffs came from the fiery 
desert. To go far back, the Roman racers at Ebor 
were Arabs. The only horses that survived the 
first year of the Crusades were Spanish Barbs brought 
by Raymond of Toulouse and his followers." 

What is a Barb? 

" The Barb is an Arab, but an Arab is not neces- 
sarily a Barb. In the early creation of the English 
thoroughbred it was discovered that the blood of the 
'Eastern Horse ' produced speed with endurance as 

52 



IT IS THE BLOOD THAT TELLS. 53 

well as beauty, which no other type of horse had 
done. These so-called 'Eastern horses ' were named 
from the countries whence they came, as the 
Arab, the Barb, the Turk, and the Spanish jennet, 
but all were included under the head of 'Eastern 
horses. ' " 

Of course. Count, you remember the legend, that 
when the Saracens, were driven out of Palestine by 
the Crusaders they crossed into the Soudan. Here 
they met the bold, brave, ever-unconquered tribes of 
the desert. It is from the Saracens that the sheiks, 
mounted on the " air-drinkers" — those who drink the 
air in lieu of water — are supposed to have taken by 
force the wonderful armor, made of finest links of 
steel, in which they subsequently rode, and were so 
invincible. 

" I have not forgotten it. But it was also during 
the Crusades that Coeur de Lion rode an Arab of 
Cypriot breed, 'a magnificent bay,' taken by strata- 
gem from the stable of Isaac the Great, Emperor of 
Cyprus, Edward jDf England rode an Andalusian 
Barb, 'Gray Lyard,' which carried him 'ever charg- 
ing forward,' in Palestine. That stalwart warrior 
the 'Cid, ' owned a famous stallion, 'Bavicca, ' also an 
Andalusian Barb, and rode, besides, a noted white 
Arab presented to him by the Sultan of Persia. By 
weighing the armor of this trio of warriors, now in 
the Tower of London, the fact is proved that these 
small Arabs carried 4 cwt. each. " 

Yes, " it is the blood which tells when the strain 
comes." Only lately I have been interested in read- 
ing that when Sir Gerald Graham was sent at the 



54 MY horse; my love. 

head of six thousand men to chastise Osman Digma, 
the Egyptian, he did it effectually, but it was the 
reckless charges of the Arabs, horse and man, which 
helped to win the day, and to insure Ot man's crush- 
ing defeat. Then, too, General Gordon, so greatly 
lamented, showed that the Egyptians could not be 
made to face the Arabs; as two thousand of them, 
armed with Remingtons, were put to ignominious 
flight by only sixty fierce horsemen of the desert, 
mounted on the famous Nedj racers, " swift as the 
wind and tireless as the wolf. 

"The English found the little Arabs most useful 
in Egypt, too, for they alone could stand the work 
and the long marches without water, and with scanty 
food, and carrying immense weights." 

It is in such emergencies that they show their 
perfection of physical strength, I have no doubt. 
They are very delightful to ride, are they not? 

"Any one accustomed to riding a pure bred 
Arabian will never ride any other, for there is all 
the difference between the ordinary English hackney 
and the Arab, that there is betwen a cart without 
springs and a rocking-chair." 

Do they not make fine hunters? 

" In hunting they surpass every other breed ; for 
they go well to hounds, are natural jumpers, bold 
fencers, requiring neither whip nor spur. Then 
they have good tempers, good mouths, easy paces, 
are fast walkers, trotters, or runners, have undoubted 
soundness of wind and limb, and can travel scores of 
miles without fatigue. " 



CHAPTER IX. 

TYPES OF ARABIAN HORSES. 

The type of Arabian horses is very markedj is it 
not, Count? 

" Ah, madam, so pure and distinct of race is the 
Arab, and so great his power of heredity, that how- 
ever radical the cross-cut, themitit mark of the desert 
still remains. For instance, one proof of his unsul* 
lied descent for centuries, is the characteristic spring 
of the tail from the cruppiei*, and his proud way of 
carrying it as he moves it to and fro." 

Do not Arabs increase in size after leaving the 
desert ? 

*' The progeny of Arabs once imported for breed- 
ing purposes show at once in their increased size, 
without any sacrifice of power and just symmetry, 
the advantages of generous living, of a better climate, 
of petted care, and of a wise indulgence in training. " 

How many generations before they equal our horses 
in size? 

" In the course of three generations English or 
American bred Arabs will not lack size. While, as 
I have said, very few Arabs of the bluest blood ever 
leave Arabia; yet English pounds, and even the 
American dollar, backed by the right influence, have 

55 



56 MY horse; my love. 

proved that sometimes gold wins despite the Sultan 
and the wily horse-copers of the desert." 

Because of their scarcity any prejudice against 
them must be founded on ignorance? 

*'Ah yes, ignorance is a quality which 'knows it 
all,' and to proclaim that they have deteriorated is 
due to the same cause. The pedigree which boasts 
an ancestry of great deeds and lengthy traditions, is 
as jealously guarded by the haughty sheiks now as 
in former days." 

But they are brought out once in a while, although 
the Sultan, considering he doesn't own any, has for- 
bidden the export of the "true air-drinker?" 

" It has been always as much the result of good 
luck, as good management when a purchase has been 
negotiated. In the times of Abd-el-Kadir fine stal- 
lions even were scarce in the Sahara, while to secure 
an Arab mare was to employ stratagem, which 
would be considered unworthy in any other trade 
than horse-dealing." 

But aside from the many fine points you have men- 
tioned, why are they so coveted and valuable? 

•' Because the Arab horse is the primitive blood 
cause, and has successfully withstood the tests of 
in-breeding for many centuries. Experience for 
many decades has so fully justified the production of 
the Anglo- Arabian thoroughbred, that to reproduce 
it new blood must be infused, for which new importa- 
tions of the Arab are necessary." 

Is the name Anglo- Arab arbitrary? 

" The English discovered, some two centuries ago, 
that with their native horses, together with the 



TYPES OF ARABIAN HORSES. 57 

blood of the 'Eastern horses,' they were creating 
several distinct types. Among these was the race- 
horse which soon became the favorite type, and 
received the most attention. In due time this crea- 
tion was called the Anglo-Arab, the word Arab 
indicating the blood-cause. For many years this 
Anglo- Arab was exported to the Continent, as the 
English thoroughbred, for to England was due this 
new creation. Count Orloif created the famous Rus- 
sian national horse in the same way^ by using Arab 
stallions to Anglo-Arab and Flemish mares. So 
France, to create her coach-horse, uses the blood of 
the Arab and calls it the ' Franco- Arab. ' " 

Is not the modern racer considered perfect by 
most breeders? 

" He does not show the fine points and attributes 
formerly seen in horses of an older date and trans- 
mitted to them by their Arabian ancestry. The 
English thoroughbred has failed to hand down to 
his descendants the primal characteristics of the 
pure Arabian." 

Why has he so failed? 

" Because he is not really of unadulterated race. 
History proves that the race-horses of England are 
neither of Arabian blood nor yet entirely of Eastern 
extraction, and cannot, therefore, be entirely thor- 
oughbred. " 

Do horses inherit particular qualities? 

*' Just as in man. Many a horse proves his ancestry 
by what he has inherited. In studying the pedigrees 
of modern race-horses, one finds that each individual 
inherits the flaws, which are shown to have existed 



58 MY horse; my love. 

in his ancestor, and often, alas, a multiplication of 
them. This is the case with the most carefully 
bred. What, then, can be said of those of much 
mixed pedigrees, where strains are numerous and 
derived through inferior animals? " 

And do imperfections continue to descend? 

" Inferior horses used in the stud most certainly 
hand down the stain immediately derived from their 
dam, in addition to former ones. In these later days 
every consideration has been sacrificed to the develop- 
ment of speed alone, all the science and sound prin- 
ciples of breeding which our ancestors established 
being very greatly disregarded. Since the days of 
King James the First the racer has been the product 
of careful selection for racing purposes only." 

Have the English always been celebrated for their 
horses? 

" It was immediately after the introduction of 
Eastern blood, not before, and within the last two 
hundred years, that the English reputation for own- 
ing and breeding fine horses began, and it was not 
until 1808 that the first volume of the stud-book, in 
which every thoroughbred horse was registered, was 
issued. If one should look back to the days of Queen 
Anne and trace the pedigrees given of some horses 
in her days, it will be seen that nothing but Eastern 
blood can be found. No better Arabians have ever 
appeared in England than the black and bay stallions 
presented by Imaun Seyeed of Muscat to his majesty, 
William the Fourth. These horses came from the pur- 
est strain of the desert, the Nedj. It is, however, be 
lieved they were never used as sires with thorough- 



TYPES OF ARABIAN HORSES. 59 

bred mares, or even with an Arabian mare sent 
with them." 

What a royal present ! But was not this neglected 
opportunity much to be deplored? 

" It was a national mistake, for the three famous 
English racers, Herod, Eclipse, and Matchem, from 
whom all modern horses are descended, were only 
half-bred; got by half-bred sires from half-bred 
dams, which proves only too conclusively that the 
English racer is not the 'true son of Arabia Deserta. ' 
Subsequently the arrival in England of Betty Leedes 
and Darley Arabian, the sire and dam of Flying 
Childers, caused such a furore that the nobility and 
landed gentry vied with each other for their posses- 
sion, and for years after the Yorkshire horses were 
invincible. " 



CHAPTER X. 

ARABIAN HORSES IN ENGLAND. 

Owing to the great difficulties of purchase and im- 
portation of Arab horses, I imagine that only a few 
breeders can afford to be enthusiastic on the sub- 
ject, even in England. 

" In England the Prince, or rather the Princess, of 
Wales heads the list. It is the custom of the Sultan 
of Turkey to send presents of so-called Arab horses, 
to distinguished crowned heads in Europe. A 
tremendous sensation was caused in Turkey and the 
East by the present of the famous stallion Kouch to 
the Princess of Wales. The Pasha who was sent 
over in charge of the horse said on his arrival in 
England that he had taken many beautiful horses 
as presents to various crowned heads, but one of 
Kouch 's breed, never before. It was believed the 
Sultan would as soon have thought of parting with 
his sultanate as with an Arab horse of this breed, 
and it was doubtful if he could ever get another like 
him. It was so unusual a gift that it was confi- 
dently asserted that the Sultan would never again 
be allowed to part with anything so rare and valu- 
able." 

Had the Sultan any special reason for presenting 

Kouch to the Princess? 

60 



ARABIAN HORSES IN ENGLAND. 



6i 



"The simple reason of it was the susceptibility 
of the Sultan to female beauty. He was so captivated 
by the Princess of Wales, when in England, that 
on hearing of her great passion for horses, and her 
great ambition to possess a beautiful Arab, that he de- 
termined, on his return to Turkey, to send her the 
choicest animal in his stable. Of course you must 
understand that the Sultan had no opportunity at 




K'lt..'/ 



THE ARABIAN MARE, NAOMI. 



home, of conversing with any other women than 
those of his own harem. And so it was that Kouch, 
the most beautiful horse ever seen in England, the 
only pure 'air-drinker' in the Sultan's stables, for 
which he paid ten thousand guineas, entered 
England." 

Is he still living? 

"Alas, no; and the only pure-bred son he had, 
Gomussa — whose dam was Naomi, the only Arabian 



62 MV HORSE; MY LOVE. 

mare now in the United States — was subsequently ex- 
ported to Chili. Kouch and Kismet were admitted by 
the Cognoscenti, to be the horses of this century, and 
now both are gone. Kismet died two hours after land- 
ing in New York, having been eighteen days at sea, 
and dying, no doubt, of pericarditis." 

Yes, I heard with great regret of his death, which 
was a severe loss to two continents. His owner, the 
Rev. F. F. Vidal, of Needham Market, Suffolk, 
England, yielded him up after the most earnest per- 
suasions, as a loan to J;he Americo-Arab Company on 
Long Island for two years, in order that new blood 
might be infused into the coming races of horses in 
America. Mr. Vidal himself wrote me that he was 
actuated by a hearty sympathy, in the efforts of Mr. 
Randolph Huntington and his company, to found a 
family of Arab horses; and that Kismet was a treas- 
ure of such inestimable value that he could never 
forgive himself for letting him go to his death. 

'' Did Kismet leave no successors?" 

Mr. Vidal owns a very handsome pure-bred son of 
Kismet, "who," he writes, *' bids fair to outrival'his 
father in beauty, although no horse can ever do so 
in other qualities." His little stud of Arabs is said 
to be the best in England? 

Who are the other owners of Arab studs in England? 

" The Hon. Miss Etheldred Dillon, who has spent 
year after 5^ear in India, Algiers, Turkey, and 
Egypt, going as far into Arabia as she dared, to secure 
the precious sons of the desert for her stud, is also 
an enthusiast. Although approaching three score 
years, she is still a devotee of the saddle, and owns 



ARABIAN HORSES IN ENGLAND. 63 

and breeds fine Arabians. Mr. Wilfred Blunt and 
his wife, Lady Anne, granddaughter of Lord Byron, 
make up the trio of pioneers, so to speak, in the cause 
of securing Arabs for the improvement of their studs 
in England. Officers of the army who have had the 
advantages of travel and service in Egypt, India, 
and the Crimea, and always bestrode Arabs there, 
have brought them out when possible. Among 
these is Captain W. C. Kerr, V. C, of the Royal 
Lancers, to whom belongs the beautiful Anglo- 
Arabian Khaled. Of him he says, *He is good 
enough to hold his own against all comers on the 
flat, or between the flags, to carry a first flight four- 
teen stone man in the shires ; would mount the Prince 
of Wales to perfection, at the head of the Tenth or 
Lady Clara Vere-de-Vere in the Row.* He owns 
also * Speed of Thought, ' a dark rich chestnut without 
white save a star. Possessed of superlative quality 
from head to heel, high-couraged, full of what 
Americans term *vim, ' strong, vigorous; his bold, 
free, and jaunty walk quite up to five miles an hour; 
he is ever the theme of general admiration. Across 
country he is as clever as a cat, will face anything, 
no matter how big, how yawning, and on parade 
bears himself bravely, as becomes his ancestry." 

And do these believe that no other than the true 
Arabian is of absolutely pure blood? 

" This intelligent company of scientific breeders be- 
lieve, after many years of experience, that the blood 
of the true Arabian must be the foundation of every- 
thing that is excellent in the various types of light 
horses for the turf, the field, war, pleasure, or light 



64 MY horse; my love. 

harness. Also that each type must have recourse 
to a fresh infusion of the parent blood, or it will de- 
teriorate. For many thousands of years we know cer- 
tainly, that his blood has been maintained unalloyed, 
although among a very small section of the numer- 
ous tribes that roam the desert. They prize this 
blood so highly that they will never cop it and rarely 
part with it." 



CHAPTER XI. 

ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN HORSES. 

Aer there many types of English horses? 

"There are several well-established types, most 
valuable in their different spheres in England. The 
thoroughbred ranks first, and it is a mistake to sup- 
pose he is good for no other purpose than racing, but 
he is very costly as an all-round horse as well as a 
racer." 

What are the heavy-draught horses? 

" First, there is the Suffolk breed of sorrel cart- 
horses. Second, the Lincolnshire horse, called the 
Shire. Third, the Clydesdale, a first cousin to the 
French Percheron. Of coach-horses and roadsters 
there are, first, the Cleveland Bay, and second, the 
Norfolk Roadster. Some of the ponies are very 
distinctive. " 

Is not the Suffolk cart-horse very popular? 

" Ah, yes, and he owes his popularity to the fact 
that he is founded on Arab blood. He is the grandest 
and by far the best heavy-draught horse in the world. 
As I know all breeds I have no hesitation in plac- 
ing him above them all. His .gay proud carriage, 
indomitable courage, gentle temper, and beautiful 
appearance place all compeers in the show-yard at 
a disadvantage. And I must be honest and say 
5 6s 



66 



MY HORSE ; MV LOVE. 




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ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN HORSES. 6^ 

that he owes all these good qualities to the large 
infusion of Arab blood he possesses. " 

This matter of breeding must be one of very grave 
importance. 

"Ah, madam, those who proceed on ignorant and 
unscientific principles, encourage largely the breed- 
ing of mongrels. Many are so prejudiced and carried 
away by the fashion of the day that they cannot see 
the harm they are doing, and they will not be 
warned in time." 

Have they no other Arabs in Russia than the 
Orloffs? 

" There is a stud in Russia where the Azeel Arab 
has been bred for a century. It began with the purest 
blood attainable — most likely stolen — and the system 
of selection has always been carefully carried on. 
The object has been to produce such a race of su- 
perlative hunters as would mount the owner of enor- 
mous estates and his huntsmen, fit to run w^th his 
noted pack of wolf-hounds. Captain Kerr writes 
interestingly of his visit to Russia, and of his ex- 
perience with these Arab hunters and the hounds. 
He says: 'These hounds hunt by scent as do our stag, 
fox -hounds, and harriers. The runs are often fast 
and always long. The wolf can travel both fast and 
far, and the Duke of Beaufort with his crack pack 
could make little of the gaunt untiring wolf of 
Brittany, Over and over again on good, sound, 
wet ground I have tried to spear a wolf, but on even 
the fastest race-horse I could never get within strik- 
ing distance. When I put on a spurt Mr. Wolf 
would just lengthen his stride, seemingly without an 



68 MY horse; my love, 

effort, and keep his carcase out of reach of my 
longest arm. Many of the runs when the scent was 
good would mean thirty miles and more, as the crow 
flies, of continuous galloping. This was followed 
by a long weary trudge home, and it was only these 
Russian Arabs, so carefully and systematically 
trained, that could overtake the wary, cunning, and 
tireless wolf, and give their riders the chance for suc- 
cessful slaughter." 

They appreciate the Arab in India also, I have 
heard. 

" In Bombay there is a community of merchants 
called 'Battias, ' who deal mainly in shirtings. They 
have accumulated much wealth, and it is their 
particular fad, to ride to and from their offices in 
buggies, with an Arab in the shafts. These light- 
handed mild Hindoos are skilful drivers, and get 
far more trot out of their horses than do the Euro- 
peans. The high knee action, an inheritance from 
coarse breeds^ is conspicuously absent in these graceful 
Arabs, and a good many of them pace." 

I have heard it said that " A Spanish gypsy girl, a 
pure Arabian, and a game-cock are the accepted 
embodiments of beauty, symmetry, and graceful 
m.otion." 

" Yes, that is an old saying. The pure-bred Arab 
of the desert is trained to be graceful. His rider 
needs not the bridle to guide him, but indicates his 
wishes by the pressure of his knees and legs. His 
head is not jerked, nor his mouth torn, by cruel bits, 
but a sign, a pressure, a whistle, or a word, is only 
necessary to establish a perfect understanding. For 



ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN HORSES. 69 

centuries he has been trained and broken by intelli- 
gent kindness, which his intelligent instinct fully 
appreciates. He regards man in the light of an 
intimate friend, while he acknowledges his mastery 
and obeys him lovingly. Well he knows him by the 
sound of his voice, the smell of his garments, the 
sight of his face. In all are they in sympathy and 
accord, and so nothing stands in the way of perfect 
temper and disposition, which the Arab horse pos- 
sesses by right of a long and ancient inheritance. 
His thorough docility causes him to be easily trained 
to unaccustomed work, to a change of step, to har- 
ness rather than the saddle, and to pull rather than 
carry. " 

You have never explained to me the different gaits 
of a horse. 

" The gallop is the natural gait of a horse. A 
pacer goes first on the two legs on one side, and then 
the two legs on the other. This makes a very easy 
rocking motion, and is natural to many horses, being 
generally inherited. The natural gait of the camel 
is to pace, and that is why it is not difficult or tire- 
some to ride on an animal so awkward lookinsf. His 
speedy trot is anotlter thing, " 

What is the simple step or single foot? 

" It is one foot on the ground and three up. The 
quick trot is the same, but with such force that the 
body is propelled forward with one leg." 

Is trotting then an artificial gait? 

" Emphatically so, although in some the gait is 
more readily acquired than in others. Horses must 
always be broken to trot steadily, and it is consid- 



70 MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

ered the most desirable step. To gallop or run the 
horse throws his forefeet forward, and propels him- 
self with his hind feet. This is his natural motion, 
and so it is why a horse is said to * break' when he 
relieves himself by going from a fast trot into a 
gallop. '* 



CHAPTER XII. 

CRUELTY OF DOCKING. 

Will you tell me, Count, i£ there be any conceiv- 
ably good reason for " docking" a horse, except as it 
may have captivated the fancy of horse-owners, who 
regard " style" as the only requisite in their hand- 
some turnouts? 

" There is but one excuse for the cruel custom, 
that it is possible to imagine. When a horse is 
fretted through constant jerking and pulling on the 
driving-reins, he may have acquired the habit of 
seeking for them with his tail. Such wonderful 
strength has he in that member that by holding down 
close what so torments him, his mouth for the time 
being is relieved." 

Then inexperienced drivers who tug continually at 
the reins and saw tiie mouth intolerably, sometimes 
teach their horses this bad habit? 

" It is true. Horses are very cunning in their modes 
of personal defense. If one be viciously disposed, it 
is when his tail has secured the reins, and he can 
forcibly hold them down, that he may take the bit 
between his teeth and show his driver as little mercy 
as has been vouchsafed himself." 

Ah, yes, then he can run away or kick the carriage 

71 



72 MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

to pieces, or revenge himself as he pleases; but is it 
not the young horse who is docked before he can 
learn such tricks? 

"A colt may show, possibly by inheritance, the 
disposition to be easily fretted, and then if his master 
approve the cruelty, he has little chance of escaping 
it ; but only extreme age protects a horse from being 
docked if his master see fit." 

Has the custom been always fashionable, or is it 
not a recent fad ? 

" It has descended to us as a relic of barbarism, and 
belongs to an era, far less intelligent and christian- 
ized, than the present century. There was a time 
when the scriptural injunction *If an eye oifend thee 
pluck it out' was literally followed; and when an 
insult was offered from man to man, it was met by 
a speedy and unerring sword-thrust. So when a 
driving horse showed a disposition to interfere with 
the reins by using his tail, the suggestion, 'Cut it off, ' 
seemed the easiest and quickest way out of the 
difficulty." 

Was there no plea for mercy for the noble brute, 
who instinctively protected his suffering mouth, or 
no hesitation at committing so wicked an outrage 
upon him? 

" None whatever in those days, and hardly any in 
this enlightened age, as a drive in any of our fash- 
ionable parks will prove. There you will see that 
mutilation takes the place of personal beauty, and 
docking is, forsooth, called 'style.' " 

But tell me. Count, of what particular or impor- 
tant use is the horse's tail? 



CRUELTY OF DOCKING. 73 

"When the gad-fly lights and stings, or the pump- 
fly — so called because its sting once inserted, it 
pumps the blood and poisons it — or when any insects 
persistently irritate the sensitive skin, the long hairs 
of the tail have power to switch them off. The tail 
is usually long enough, to reach all along the body 
up to the neck. About the fore-legs the horse can 
reach with his nose, and thus defend himself in those 
parts. As the point of his nose is his touch-point and 
the sense of a thing is conveyed to him with it, just 
as we examine an object with our fingers, so is the 
tail important also, as a part of his sign-speech." 

Please explain what you mean by his sign- 
speech. 

" Does not the dog wag his tail to give expression 
to his delight? and does he not hold it down close 
between his legs, to show his humiliation at angry 
words or any form of punishment? By the same 
token, does the horse lift his tail proudly when in 
motion, and wave it to and fro like an ostrich plume, 
when he is happy and pleased. One of the surest 
signs of good-breeding is the spring of the tail from 
the crupper. Then it can give also a direct blow, 
blinding, disconcerting, paralyzing, to the too famil- 
iar, when the intelligent beast knows he need not 
kick in self-defense." 

Live and learn ! I had never thought of all these 
accomplishments ! 

" Then when the head hangs wearily down, the 
•tail drops also, and these are signs of great fatigue 
after hard work, or a long day's toilsome journey. 
The merciful man notes all these familiar signs, 



74 MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

and gives to his faithful servant the rest he 
needs," 

Is the operation of docking a very severe or pain- 
ful one? 

" To explain why it is a fearful ordeal, I must give 
you a short lesson as to the anatomy of the horse's 
tail. First, there are from fifteen to seventeen bones. 
There are two pairs of tendons to lift the tail up and 
to draw it down, and there are two pairs of tendons to 
turn it sideways from left to right, and from right to 
left. There are strong ligaments joining the bones, 
and arteries, veins, and nerves intertwined through- 
out. Covering all, with Nature's perfect finish, is the 
muscular tissue from which grow the long heavy 
hairs. Therefore, to cut through the quivering flesh, 
the bones and tendons and ligaments, to sever the 
great arteries and the smaller veins, and to expose 
the shrinking nerves, is not only to produce exquisite 
agony to the terrified helpless being, but the opera- 
tion being of so dangerous a nature, must necessarily 
be prolonged beyond bearing." 

Are the nerves of a horse very sensitive? 

" That no animal, not even man, has such an ex- 
cessive development of nerves as the horse, has been 
proved over and over again by post-mortem exami- 
nations, betraying the closeness with which they are 
interlaced. With this exceedingly fine nervous con- 
stitution are given the patience and pluck, to endure 
longer, more severe pain than any other animal 
living. In comparison to his size he possesses also' 
a very small stomach, and the power to endure 
longer and more tedious work." 



CRUELTY OF DOCKING, 



75 



Then to "ride a willing horse to death" is no 
unmeaning adage? 

" It takes its source from the fact of the heavy bur- 
dens put upon the patient animal from time imme- 
morial, to satisfy his exacting and capricious master, 
Man." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

OPERATION OF DOCKING. 

Have you ever seen the operation of docking per- 
formed, Count? 

"Only once, and then I was called in as surgeon 
to save the life of the suffering victim." 

Will it be too harrowing to hear how it was done? 

" The horse was tied by the neck to a ring in the 
wall, as he stood in his stall, with a switch screwed 
as tight as possible on the end of his nose. This 
was in order to hold his head very high and make 
him powerless. Two men held him against the 
wall, another cut with a pair of scissors the hair 
where the tail was to be severed, while a fourth 
attended to the roasting iron in a small furnace." 

Did not the poor dumb creature know something 
dreadful was about to happen? 

" Ah, if you could have seen him tremble with 
apprehensive fear! When all was read)', there was 
a sudden click of the large shears, the tail lay on the 
ground, and the blood spurted from the various veins, 
striking the wall several feet distant. Then the 
saucer-shaped iron, heated to a white heat, was fitted, 
over the bleeding- wound, and held there until it was 

sufficiently roasted." 

76 



OPERATION OF DOCKING. 77 

And did the poor horse bear this cruelty pa- 
tiently? 

' " He endured it bravely until the hot iron was 
applied, and then the dreadful heart-searching scream 
he gave, I shall never forget to my dying day — and I 
never saw him afterward without a choking sensa- 
tion of tears in the remembrance." 

Do horses always survive this cruel operation? 

" By no means. Many die of lock-jaw, in torture 
so prolonged (in the hope that since they have money 
value they may recover) that both owners and opera- 
tors are in dread lest the public may learn of the 
tortured animal's sufferings. The 'Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' has aided the en- 
actment of the strictest of laws against docking and 
any man permitting or performing the operation is 
liable to imprisonment and a heavy fine." 

It cannot be painful to bang the tail, and is infin- 
itely prettier, is it not? 

" Most decidedly. A woman does not suffer when 
the ends of her long hair are trimmed, and a banged 
tail is effective, giving the idea of neat grooming. 
Then the hairs can be cut quite short, as the stump 
of the tail is never longer than fifteen to sixteen 
inches, and seldom more than twelve. No idea of 
mutilation is suggested by banging." 

I have seen horses whose tails seem to have no 
natural springs 

" Yes, but they are presumably of coarse breeds. 
It is a natural defect which can be remedied, by cut- 
ting slightly the tendons or ligaments w^hich hold it 
down, even as you would cut a child's tongue who is 



78 MY horse; my love. 

'tongue-tied.' Then the tail must be artificially 
propped and the wound will heal quickly." 

There is no danger in this, I suppose? 

" Yes, even this slight operation is dangerous to 
the horse, and he suffers much pain. " 

Do you consider the mane also so important? 

" The mane and forelock should always be culti- 
vated, for they are a very great protection against 
sunstroke. To cut off the mane is therefore to 
uncover a sensitive part of the neck and head, to an- 
nihilate a beauty, and to defeat Nature's meaning 
in her wise bestowal of what she deems a necessity, 
or she would not have given it. What would you 
think of a little colt coming into the world with an 
ass's mane and a docked tail? Would you admire 
it?" 

Well, it might bring its owner an income as one 
of Nature's freaks, like the double-headed calf or the 
four-legged chicken, if exhibited in a menagerie. 
But I doubt if a horse, artificially deprived, would be 
seen in company with one ready made, so to speak, 
born Avith a banged mane and docked tail. 

"Of course, madam, you know that all accounts of 
the prehistoric horse, which was little larger than a 
sheep, prove his tail to have been prehensile. To 
him it was as much of an absolute necessity as it is to 
the monkey to-day. He finds it indispensable as a 
hand in climbing from bough to bough, in swinging 
forward to catch the swaying limb of a tree, and in 
all his nimble movements a wonderful means of 
defense, progression, or escape, " 

And you consider the tail of our modern horse as 



OPERATION OF DOCKING. 79 

essential to his comfort, well-being, and personal 
beauty, although no longer prehensile, as was that of 
his prehistoric ancestor? 

" Undoubtedly, notwithstanding the efforts of a 
silly fashion to prove the contrary. It is certainly 
past finding out how any lover of the symmetrical 
can be approvingly silent, when he witnesses a pro- 
cession of thoroughbreds, shorn of this most neces- 
sary of Nature's equipments, but otherwise glorious 
to behold! In the horse. Nature revels in Hogarth's 
line of beauty. Starting at his ears she brings her 
curve about his neck, gently undulating it at his 
shoulder and along his back, and gracefully bending 
it about his haunches, so to describe a profile, of 
which a swaying tail is an artistic necessity." 

I agree with you, for whoever saw a picture by 
Schreyer or Fromentin, or De la Roche, or Rosa Bon- 
heur, wherein these distinguished artists, who have 
studied and know the beauties of the animal, would 
consent to depict him after the performance of this 
brutal operation ! I am sure the question of prefer- 
ence can never be given to the ridiculous bob-tails, 
who lift the abbreviated remnant of their hind-quar- 
ters like a pompon/absurdly suggestive of a certain 
fashion in bonnets, or hold it down closely as if 
ashamed of it; but to those who still possess what 
Nature so emphatically designed and intended they 
should have. 

"Ah, but it is the moneyed classes who give the 
cue to the horse-using world, and who find it easier 
to copy an inhuman abuse, than to enlighten fashion- 
able Goths." 



8o MY horse; my love. 

I have heard and read of many horse lovers in 
this country who refuse to buy or own animals so 
shorn. 

" Yes, there are breeders and buyers here who 
will not have a horse that is docked, and through 
their efforts the long-tailed saddle-horse is steadily 
becoming more fashionable. European governments 
will not buy one that has been docked for cavalry 
purposes. It is also well known that officers are not 
allowed to ride them, even if they be private prop- 
erty, when on military parade." 

That is surely a step in the right direction and 
ought to be encouraging to the Anglo-maniacs to 
abolish the abuse also in this country. Let us hope 
that Dame Fashion will interfere and set her arbi- 
trary seal of disapproval, on this cruel and ugly cus- 
tom of equine mayhem ! 



. CHAPTER XIV. 

THE MEXICAN BIT AND CURB. 

What do you think of the Mexican bit, Count? 

" Ah, madam, it is a fearful piece of machinery. 
Just as the custom of docking descends to us from 
barbarous times, so is the Mexican bit a remnant of 
the Spanish Inquisition. It cuts without mercy or 
relief, every part of the animal's jaws. To place 
it in any horse's mouth, whether tender or hard, and 
then to pull against it with the reins, is to produce 
a tortare rivalling the thumb-screw or the rack. 
While these may not kill or break any bones, as we 
all know, they have too often made many a sufferer 
forswear his religion, or swear to secrets he never 
heard of." 

Is this bit frequently used? 

"Not nearly so much now as formerly. Possibly 
among the ranchers in the far West, or among the 
Mexicans, whose ponies are hard to break, and 
whose hearts are quite indifferent to any cruelties 
inflicted on animals." 

Have you any knowledge or experience of these 
bits personally? 

"Some years ago I knew a man in Philadelphia, 
from whose livery-stable I occasionally hired horses. 
One day I missed from his stall a beautiful young 



82 MY horse; my love. 

stallion of Arab descent, who always whinnied at 
my step, expecting, his frequent caress. The man, 
with a sad shake of his head, told me the result of 
having hired him out to two young men who were 
very ambitious to drive him. He warned them 
that the horse was not thoroughly broken. 'In what 
way?' said they. 'Well, you see, he is very good 
tmder the saddle, but objects strongly to being 
hitched, and it isn't everybody who can manage 
him.' 

*' ' Let us have him, and we will break him to har- 
ness for you. ' 

"'AH right,' said the proprietor, 'he has cost me 
a pretty penny kicking things to pieces, but if you've 
a mind to try him don't forget I warned you.' 

"'Well, we'll take him and tame him, too, but 
first I'll go for my Mexican bit.' 

" Returning shortly, he placed the bit in the young 
horse's mouth, and the horse was finally hitched to 
the buggy. As he was led out of the stable he pranced 
proudly and playfully, lifting his feet daintily, and 
glancing from side to side, already uneasy at what 
seemed ever approaching his hind legs. A tug at the 
bit warned him to go quietly, and he proceeded, still 
uneasy and half-scared, until the smooth country road 
was reached." 

Then did he run away? 

" No, but he protested with his hind legs, for he 

had felt the insulting whip, and his mouth! The 

cruel two-edged sword was doing its work, cutting 

into his palate, his gums, his tongue. In vain he 

' tried to run awa}'' from the agony of it, but the bit 



THE MEXICAN BIT AND CURB. 8^ 

held him ! He could not shake it off or ease his 
aching mouth. The blood flowed down in streams, 
until his breast and fore-legs were red and dripping. 
Maddened with pain and fright he went at a furious 
pace for an hour or so, returning at last to his stable. " 

And had the bit cured him of his youthful spirit? 

"Alas, yes! He was not only completely con- 
quered and subdued, but his jaw was rendered help- 
less, and his tongue so cruelly cut that he could 
never carry a bit again. From that time on his 
spirit was broken, and he was unfit either to ride or 
drive. So much for the Mexican bit!" 

And what became of the poor fellow? 

" His owner could make no protest against the 
cruelty, and had just sold him to a breeder, who, 
knowing the immense value of his blood and ances- 
try, could make him useful in the stud." 

There can be no such objection to the curb bit? 

"No, the curb bit is, on the contrary, not only 
useful, but essential. It is a far more merciful 
means of reminding a wilful horse, that he is not to 
have his own way entirely. It does not cut and 
cause the mouth to bleed." • 

How does it act?^ 

" It creates an ache in the jaw, which few horses 
enjoy, and which in most cases effectually controls, 
while it does not injure them. The curb is most 
important in riding, especially with fiery young 
steeds, when mounted by daring women. As a gen- 
eral thing, women have a light touch on the reins; 
and one properly taught, soon learns when it is neces- 
sary to use the curb, and how much of it her horse 



84 MY horse; my love. 

can bear. With some horses it is dangerous even 
to let go the curb, while with others the snaffle or 
guiding-rein only is necessary." 

Horses are very differently broken, are they not? 

" While some have hard mouths, which means a 
greater strength of resistance in the jaw and a defiant 
way of showing it, others are so tender that it seems 
cruel to use the curb. Force and will in the rider 
are not to be always foremost in guiding; but a 
coaxing word often makes a good understanding, and 
the horse is most sensitive to kindness. His ears 
are quick to catch a caressing sound. Few^ are really 
vicious by inclination, and it must be some remem- 
brance of a cruelty during their early training which 
makes them so." 

But horses are widely different in disposition, are 
they not? 

" They are the same as in man. Did you not read 
lately of a horse trampling not only his master, but 
his master's little son to death?" 

You refer to the stableman in New York who had 
owned and fed the horse for four years? 

" It is the same. That horse must have been a 
Percheron, for they are singularly revengeful and 
never forget an injury." 

But what could the man have done, to provoke 
the horse to commit such a horrible deed? 

" Some men are naturally overbearing, and take no 
trouble to win the affection and good-will of the 
animals under their charge. This man may have pun- 
ished the horse unjustly, or have teased him or neg- 
lected to feed him, or have done many other things 



THE MEXICAN BIT AND CURB, 85 

which were offenses from the horse's standpoint. 
The Percheron is slow and sullen and never for- 
gives nor forgets." 

Are they not especially valuable as draught- 
horses? 

" Immensely so. They are never speedy, but have 
enormous strength and endurance, being founded on 
Arab blood, and can pull for so many hours a day, 
and so many miles an hour, tremendous weights, and 
show no fatigue. The express companies own a 
large number of Percherons for which they pay the 
stated sum of $333.33 apiece, or §1,000 for three." 

Did you ever see a horse injured by thrusting a 
cold metal bit in his mouth? 

" That is of too frequent occurrence for me not to 
have seen it, and far oftener than I like to think of." 

One cold frosty morning I heard one boy say to 
another, " I dare you to put your tongue on this iron 
lamp-post." In a twinkling the boy did it, and the 
skin of his tongue was left on the frozen iron. I 
was indignant at such an outrage, but had no time 
to interfere. Would a cold bit have a similar ef- 
fect? — 

" Certainly, madam. The horse's tongue is equally 
sensitive, and a frozen bit, whether of steel or iron, 
has done infinite mischief to the poor animal, which 
could never be accounted for. Many a run -away 
can be traced to this unthinking carelessness or 
ignorance." 

It should not be difficult to remedy. 

" A cold bit can be quickly warmed by thrusting 



S6 



MY horse; my love. 




THE MEXICAN BIT AND CURB. .87 

it between the arm and body for a few moments, or 
rubbing it between the hands, or on something 
woollen. But to avoid the trouble permanently, 
through ignorant grooms, the bit in winter should 
be covered with leather or rubber to prevent such 
prolonged and intolerable suffering." 

The tongue so injured must take a long time to 
heal? 

" It is as severe and painful as a bad bum, and no 
horse should take the bit after such a misfortune, 
until entirely recovered. " 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE BEARING-REIN. 



We have never heard your sentiments about the 
bearing or check-rein, Count, but from my own 
knowledge and limited observation I am almost sure 
you do not approve of it. 

" No, madam, I cannot approve of anything, which 
makes of a knowing horse simply an automaton, and 
deprives him of the chance to exercise his natural 
intelligence. The bearing-rein is a near relation 
to the Mexican bit, although its invention may have 
been conceived in a spirit somewhat less cruel." 

Should it ever be used? 

" It may sometimes be used, but sparingly, on a 
very unruly young horse and before he is entirely 
broken." 

But does it not prevent any natural play of the 
head? 

" That seems to be the object of it, as it holds the 
head as if in a vise; but without it a colt, if so 
minded, can put his head down between his fore-legs, 
and thus gain such a purchase on his hind ones, as 
will enable him to do any amount of mischief." 

I have wondered how a horse can propel himself at 
all, with the check-rein holding him in so unnatural 

88 



THE BEARIISTG-REIN. 89 

an attitude, and appearing to clog any free or easy- 
motion. 

"Ah, yes, it is as effectual in i'^s way as is the 
handcuff on the hands of a prisoner. A man cannot 
run far with his hands tied together, the connection 
between his arms and legs being such that they 
unconsciously assist each other, and to tie the hands 
is to prevent any rapid progression." 

Then what is the check-rein good for? 

"It is supposed to produce 'style' in a driving 
horse. That is, his head is held up at an angle to 
his body, at once unnatural and painful, and is kept 
in a position, that every one must acknowledge, is 
stiff, artificial, and ungraceful." 

Does it not defeat easy locomotion? 

" Undoubtedly, producing excessive fatigue, pain, 
and long-suffering, through the severe strain put 
upon all the muscles of the body." 

The constant use of it must then be an unmixed 
evil? 

" It is so, emphatically. A horse driven daily 
with a check-rein, will in time have the tendons of 
his tongue paralyzed. The steady pull, so fixed and 
constant, strains the muscles of the head and neck, 
and becomes imbearable in its cruel pressure against 
the corners of the mouth." 

Do they not get callous? 

" No, unfortunately ; the effect is to wear away the 
corners, little by little, until a hole is formed on 
each side of the mouth from which the tongue pro- 
trudes. I have seen horses' mouths so worn away at 
the corners by the constant use of the bearing-rein, 



9© MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

that there was literally no room left in the mouth 
for the tongue to lie, so naturally it would hang out, 
first on one side and then on the other. The horse 
would prefer to keep his tongue in his mouth, but 
the tendons being paralyzed and helpless, the pour 
creature has no volition in the matter." 

This detracts considerably from a horse's value, 
does it not? 

" It cannot fail to reduce his value greatly, a hang- 
ing tongue being always so unsightly. Imagine a 
horse held thus firmly by the check -rein; his head 
high in air, his nose poking forward, his eyes covered 
with blinders! He must go on, although he cannot 
see where he is placing his feet. He lifts them 
high, trying to feel his way carefully ; he can only 
turn his head when he turns his body, in obedience 
to a pull on the rein, while all the bones and mus- 
cles in his strong frame ache. Still, on he goes, 
prancing or plodding, for there is a cracking whip 
behind him ! He is amiable. He wants to do what 
is required of him, and it is from this disposition 
that his encouragement to mend his pace or mind his 
ways must come — surely not from the stupid clogs 
that check and make unnatural his gait and thereby 
defeat their own intention!' 

Under the guidance of the check-rein the horse 
must then go automatically? 

" Certainly, for nothing is left to his intelligence, 
and he has no more volition than a machine. If 
regarded as such, then is the machinist a bungler 
in his trade; but it must be very hard for the in- 
telligent horse to understand why his friendly ser- 



THE BEARING-REIN. 9I 

vices to man are rewarded only by pain and misap- 
prehension." 

As one of the most sensitive and delicate of 
animals, he is too often the victim of the ignorant 
and indifferent, in their love of display, and to 
accentuate their v^ealth and fashion, I imagine. 

" It is true, but those who know how to care for 
horses with sympathy, and an understanding of their 
needs and merits, cannot look with pleasure on their 
distress. Or, when robbed of their becoming equip- 
ments of mane and tail, they are held back to prance 
against the check-rein, while being urged on by the 
smarting, irritating lash, all their natural aptitudes 
held in abeyance, in order that they may thus give a 
'stylish' effect on parade." 

I fancy there must be very few who have not a 
keen appreciation of their courage and loyalty; their 
beauty and sagacity; their endurance and power; 
their affection and forbearance; and above all, their 
self-restraint under provocation. 

" It may be so, but it is to wealth and fashion that 
we look, to promote the development of these noble 
animals, and to prevent their being tortured and 
harassed by inhuman and ignorant abuses." 



CHAPTER XVI. 



BALKING. 



There must be some good reason, Count, why 
many horses, excellent in every other respect, are so 
given to balking. 

"Ah, madam, a balking horse is a difficult subject 
to deal with, for he represents the obstinacy of 
ignorance." 

In what way? 

" 1 have found that in almost all cases the habit 
comes from not seeing an object perfectly — as in 
man, the horse often inherits or is born with imper- 
fect sight. Very many are near-sighted, others are 
far-sighted, and those with normal sight are really 
the exception." 

Is this simple fact usually known by horse- 
owners? 

" If known, much less attention is paid to it than 

should be. The sight of each horse should be tested, 

especially when they shy, swerve, scare easily, balk, 

or appear in any way, from no definable cause, 

unruly. A horse which shies at everything along 

the road will almost invariably be found to have 

short sight." 

But what will help this defect? 

92 



BALKING. 93 

"It would seem a very odd proceeding, I suppose, 
to suggest eye-glasses as a remedy. Many horses, 
especially speedy hunters, would find such artificial 
assistance invaluable. So many are unfit for even , 
ordinary work on this account, that only a visit to the 
optician could prove their one defect; and establish 
the fact, that but for it, their value need be no less 
than that of their more fortunate companions with 
normal sight.'* 

I have read lately that the oculists have made 
great strides in curing defects of vision in man, with- 
out the use of glasses. Even eyes which have been 
dimmed from birth by malformation have had the 
power to see well, without glasses, restored by the 
best specialists. Many examples were given as 
evidence that errors of refraction were daily cured 
by treatment, glasses being dispensed with. Dr. W. 
H. Bates, of New York City, concludes an excellent 
article in the New York Medical Journal^ after record- 
ing many cases cured of near-sightedness, supposed 
to be irremediable, in these words: "The vision, in 
many cases of myopia, can be improved very much 
by treatment without glasses, and frequently this 
improvement is-so marked as to render glasses 
unnecessary." Could this same treatment be made 
successful in horses? 

"Certainly, diseases in man and horse are very 
similar, but such treatment of the eyes would be 
very expensive, although probably not more so, than 
that of many other infirmities. It might prove that 
the horse accused of vices^ such as shying, balking, 
swerving, etc., had none such from inclination; and 



94 MV horse; my love. 

that the sight, being promptly cured of its defect, re- 
lieved the horse of such odium." 

Has any other remedy been found for this trouble? 

" If the object about v^^hich a balking horse is 
in alarmed doubt can be brought to him or he can be 
coaxed to it, so that he can see it closely, and can 
investigate it with his nose, in most cases he will be 
found perfectly willing to resume his journey, and will 
show his disgust at his own stupidity by a disdainful 
sniff." 

Then you do not advocate force, whipping, or even 
coaxing? 

"They have been tried too often not to produce 
their own moral. As I have said before the sense 
of smell is more acute in the horse than any other 
sense. The point of his nose being his touch-point 
conveys a subtler and more exact meaning to his 
intelligence and reasoning powers. It demonstrates 
facts when scenting danger from afar, a distant 
object is either magnified or indistinctly seen by his 
startled and imperfect eyes, and quick imagination. 
He is satisfied of its harmlessness when brought 
dosely enough for him to smell of it. If not per- 
mitted to examine an object in his own way, he will 
never forget in passing that certain locality, that 
something is there which puzzles and frightens 
him. He will manifest always the same repugnance 
toward it,' the same disposition to shy or balk in 
approaching it." 

One of the most practical ways of curing a balk- 
ing horse was told lately by a police-officer. It was 
to lift the fore-leg by the fetlock and hold it up for 



BALKING. 95 

three minutes. On placing the foot again on the 
ground the horse would go on as if nothing had 
stopped him. 

'* Possibly his attention was thus distracted from 
what had caused his sudden disinclination to move." 

Is it not worvSe than stupid that the driver of '^. 
balking horse will not explain to him the alarming 
object, whether it be an engine or a scarecrow? 

" Ah, dear madam, the horse is too often regarded 
as a mere machine, without common sense or even 
common instinct. It is only a man of intelligence 
who will discover the same quality in his horse and 
credit him with 'horse-sense.' " 

I notice that expression quite commonly used. 
What is its real meaning? 

" It intends to convey the idea of ordinary intelli- 
gence combined with quick and unerring instinct 
which together prevent mistakes. Many a traveller 
owes his life to 'horse-sense,' when if left to his own 
he would have lost it. Afterward with what nervous 
awe, he has looked upon the frail and narrow bridge, 
spanning a rushing torrent far below, over which 
his faithful sure-footed beast has carried him in 
safety, while the thunder rolled and the lightning 
flash was the only lantern, to point out the dangerous 
path in the inky blackness of night!" 



CHAPTER XVII. 

BLINKERS AND BLINDNESS. 

Do you advocate the use of blinkers? 

" Many horses are better without them, but it 
would be not only absurd but dangerous, to drive all 
horses without blinkers. There is much to be con- 
sidered in the method used in the early training of a 
horse; how much intelligence his trainer possessed, 
and how much he gave the young colt credit for. 
While some are more knowing than others, all horses 
have a certain and intimate knowledge of their own 
power and its limitations, and their inductions are 
singularly accurate." 

Then you believe in the old sa\T "As the twig is 
bent the tree's inclined?" 

"It should never be forgotten for a moment in 
breaking, training, and rearing young horses. They 
have a surprising memory and often prove the fact 
to one's consternation. An examination by the 
optician to test their sight, would also establish the 
need or abolishment, of blinkers, in each mdividual 
animal." 

Why do saddle-horses never wear them? 

" For one reason, because custom has established 
the fashion. It is obvious that a horse carrying his 
burden, can travel on as narrow a path as the rider 

96 



BLINKERS AND BLINDNESS. 97 

himself, and oftentimes more surely. Riding-horses 
swerve and shy quite as much as carriage-horses; 
but the former can be guided to a disconcerting 
object and so be able to investigate it, while the 
horse that is pulling a vehicle must be kept in the 
beaten road." 

Is a horse more easily managed under the saddle? 

'' Undoubtedly. A good rider is not so liable to 
accident as the driver whose horses checked, trussed, 
and tortured by fashionable harness have their 
natural action encumbered. Forced as their move- 
ments are into an artificial gait, when they become 
thoroughly alarmed, the ease and dash with which 
they can throw off all restraining bonds, prove their 
mighty strength and make man feel helpless in his 
own inventions." 

Then it is not surprising that with blinkers or 
without they sometimes get unruly? 

" They know well the power or lack of it, of the 
hand which guides them, and the voice which en- 
courages them to do their best." 

Is the martingale an essential equipment in 

riding? 

"It bears the^ame relation to the riding-bridle 
that the bearing-rein does to the harness of a horse 
driven. The latter holds up and back the horse's 
head to an unnatural position, while the martingale 
pulls it down, to emphasize the arch of the neck." 

Then it is not important? 

" Not in the least, and there are times when the 
use of it is very dangerous. Riding with a party of 
hunters one day, we came to a fast-running stream 
- ■ 7 ■ . 



98 Mv horse; my love. 

into which one man plunged impetuously, intending 
his horse to swim the distance. From the horse's 
struggles I realized in a moment that the martingale 
was not undone and the horse's nose was below the 
water line. The frantic animal soon unseated his 
brave rider, who immediately sank before our eyes, 
having been kicked in the desperate effort of the 
poor horse to free his head. He finally found the 
solid ground under him, and came ashore. But his 
rider, one of the best horsemen I ever knew, rose to 
the surface a drowned man ; and all our efforts to 
recuscitate him proved im a vailing — I have never 
since found any use for the martingale." 

What are the principal causes of blindness. Count? 

" If the nose-bone be affected by disease the nerves 
of the eyes will suffer, and unless the trouble can 
yield to treatment, as it does in man, the horse will 
eventually become blind. Knocking in the head or 
nostrils, which some human brutes seem to think an 
effectual punishment ; striking sharply with a whip 
over the ears and head, or teeth from which the 
enamel is broken and the nerves exposed ; all sooner 
or later affect the eyes and sight. Pulling daily 
very heavy loads up-hill, and choking with tight col- 
lars, as well as the sudden passage from a dark stable 
to the bright sunlight or dazzling snow, help to pro- 
duce blindness." 

Is it not remarkable the way in which blind horses 
can go about, avoiding difficulties, sliding off just 
in time to escape hitting their heads against a fence 
or stone wall? 

'' For this reason I would much prefer a blind horse 



BLINKERS AND BLINDNESS. , 99 

to a lame one. Their sense of hearing is abnormally 
developed. They listen always to the echo of their 
own footsteps, which tells them how near they are 
to an object. Their olfactory nerves also become 
preternaturally sensitive, and warn them of the ap- 
proach of persons or things. They know their mas- 
ter by his voice, his step, his smell, his touch, quite 
as well as a horse that can see. Blindness seems to 
develop all their affectionate instincts. They par- 
ticularly love their mate in the stable or in driving; 
doing their share of work cheerfully, depending on 
him only for guidance, and if separated will pine and 
refuse to be comforted. " 

Then, for all these reasons, he will not deteriorate 
so much in value? 

" His value should not be greatly lessened, as his 
usefulness is by no means at an end. Conscious of 
his deficiency, he seems always most anxious to do his 
best, while any natural wilfulness gives place to the 
most amiable desire to be led or guided, only that he 
may do the thing required of him. While there is 
nothing that more appeals to the sympathies than a 
blind horse, it is not on account of his helplessness so 
much, as because oL his exceeding willingness, and 
the surprising cleverness of his sharpened instincts." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

TEETH AND TOOTHACHE. 

Is it true, Count, that horses are great sufferers 
from toothache? I have read that the complaint is 
the real cause of many a runaway, attributed to 
viciousness. 

" I believe nothing can be more absurd than such 
a statement. Decayed teeth in a horse are most 
unnatural. Of course, if the horse be constantly fed 
on something sour, which creates fermentation, the 
enamel may become broken or rotted and the nerve 
may in time be exposed. In this condition a frosty 
bit will cause exquisite pain ; but toothache, as we 
realize it, is something unknown to a well-kept 
healthy horse. Filing, cleaning, evening, and there- 
by spoiling the horse's teeth, is gypsy work." 

How do you mean? 

" It is the way gypsies often take to earn a few 
dollars, and at the same time learn the secrets of 
5^our stable. The veterinary surgeon knows better, 
and nothing is gained by constantly fooling about a 
horse's mouth. In Europe and in the colleges there 
such things would excite much merriment and con- 
tempt — but the subject has been presented to me 
before in this country." 

The age of a horse is told quite distinctly by his 
teeth, is it not? But I have never understood just how. 

lOO 



TEETH AND TOOTHACHE. lOI 

"The young horse's teeth meet in the mouth, edge 
to edge, being upright. Some horses are parrot- 
mouthed, so that the upper teeth project somewhat, 
but the back ones always meet squarely. As they 
grow older the teeth in both jaws project more and 
more, making an acute angle, until, at twenty years 
of age, the undersides meet together." 

Ah, I see. Did you ever pull a horse's tooth? 

"Never, but once. The horse in this case had 
what are called J>orane teeth ; that is, four little tusks 
growing at the sides of the mouth. As they were 
not attached to the bone, I nipped them off promptly 
with the forceps with little pain to the horse, who 
was greatly relieved to be rid of them." 

And is this the only case? 

" I was called once to come quickly to a horse, 
supposed to be suffering from lockjaw. After ex- 
amination I could assure his anxious owner that the 
trouble was a very trivial one. A tooth in the upper 
jaw had broken off, and just opposite to it, in the 
lower jaw, was a tooth projecting nearly an inch 
above the others. When the horse closed his mouth 
in eating, the projecting tooth fitted nicely into the 
hollow of the broken tooth above, and became 
wedged or locked. " 

What did you do? 

"It was very simple. I pried open his mouth 
with a chisel and filed off the long tooth, so that 
there was no further danger of its locking — an 
operation which the horse seemed to understand, 
and bore very patiently." 



CHAPTER XIX. 

LOCKJAW. 

Is lockjaw a common disorder? 

" Fortunately not, being very dangerous." 

What produces it? 

" Such similar causes as produce it in man. A 
nail cutting a nerve in the foot, sometimes a splinter 
of wood, or wounds which cause great inflammation 
and poison the system. Unless great care be taken 
in 'docking, * lockjaw is likely to follow the opera- 
tion, and it is seldom that a horse so afflicted can 
recover. A large proportion of horses docked die of 
lockjaw." 

Have you seen the late controversy about corns 
on horses' feet, Count, and do you consider them 
curable? 

"Certainly, they can be cured, if great care be 
taken in shoeing, for it is the shoe which produces 
corns. The quarter-hoof should never have a nail 
in it, as it is in the corners where come the bars and 
the crust that the corn has its beginning. A care- 
less blacksmith will cut the bars and open the frog, 
and thus open the hoof, into which dirt and mud 
enter and find an abiding-place. That part of the 
shoe which goes beyond the quarter-hoof does not 
even pretend to fit the foot sometimes,, but curves 

I02 



LOCKJAW. , 103 

downward, making an effectual recess between the 
hoof and shoe, for the accumulation of dirt and even 
small pebbles. These foreign substances, if not 
at once carefully removed, will soon produce corns, 
which if m turn grow too high will develop quitor." 

What is that? 

" It is a species of tumor. Then an operation 
must be made by cutting this tumor open, when sup- 
puration will follow and the corn can be permanently 
removed." 

Then horses who have never worn shoes do not 
have corns? 

" Certainly not. Corns are the inevitable result of 
careless shoeing. Many other evils also follow upon 
the indifferent, not to say cruel handiwork of the 
blacksmith. I have seen the crust of a horse's foot 
perforated like a sponge, nail upon nail having been 
driven into it. Every nail, more than is absolutely 
necessary, not only helps to impede the horse's prog- 
ress, but causes him often great suffering. Nobody 
•should own a horse who cannot afford to have him 
properly shod, or who will permit him to wear a 
worn-out shoe, simply because it still clings to the 
hoof. The laminaJs exceedingly sensitive, and iron 
nails pressing close against it are a frequent cause of 
lameness. The shoe should be nailed neither too 
high nor too close to the heel. All owners of horses, 
whether for the saddle, the carriage, or the plough, 
should look to it that no false economy in the matter 
of proper shoeing, and frequent renewals should 
tempt them to reduce the value of their animals, as 
well as to cause to them great pain and suffering. " 



I04 MY horse; my love. 

Have you seen many horses made lame by imper- 
fect shoeing? 

" It is only too common a fault. Only lately a 
physician called me to look at his horse, remarking at 
the same time that he thought 'the horse must be- 
come lame on purpose, for he couldn't discover any- 
thing the matter with him!' He said further, 'The 
horse will go all right for ten minutes or so in the 
morning, and will then suddenly go lame, and con- 
tinue so the rest of the day.' Well, I examined 
the horse carefully, although my eye had lighted on 
the real cause at once, and I said: 'Now, doctor, you 
are pretty wise, and know the proportions of a horse 
and his defects. Stand exactly in front of him and 
tell me if you can see nothing wrong.' 

"'No, ' replied the doctor, 'I'll be switched if I 
can, and I believe he is playing off, the rogue!* 

" 'Will you kindly look at his shoes?' 

" The doctor lifted first one hind foot and then 
the other. ^Nothing the matter with them, Count.* 

'"Well, go on, finish your inspection.' 

" He lifted one forefoot and then the other and a 
sudden light began to dawn on his visage: 'Ah, can 
it be so simple a thing?' 

"'It is that, and that is all,' said I, and by actual 
measurement the corks oil the shoe of one fore- 
foot, were a full inch longer than all the others, 
and so lifted the horse just so much more from the 
ground." 

You had the laugh on the doctor that time. 
Count. 

" Yes, I had. and he went off half mad and half 



LOCKJAW. 105 

pleased, when I told him to go home and walk 
around in shoes, one with a heel and one without, 
and see how lame he'd go, without trying." 

There are many different causes for lameness, of 
course? 

*' So many that it is a proof of much care, that we 
see so few lame horses in the street. An unprinci- 
pled stableman, knowing all the tricks of the trade, 
in order to spare himself a day's uncongenial labor, 
can quickly lame a horse, without doing him more 
than a passing injury. These things are so common 
that before examining a horse just developing some 
trouble, I make a sort of detective's inspection of 
the groom, and seek to learn something of his habits, 
inclinations, etc. A pin in the fetlock, a hair from 
the tail, threaded in a needle, and run through the 
outer and middle tendons of the front leg, and cut off 
close so that nothing appears, are some of the 
detestable tricks occasionally resorted to out of 
petty revenge, which I mention only as a warning to 
trusting owners." 

What are your notions about clipping, Count? 

"Among some of the best horsemen there is a 
strong prejudice ^lagainst clipping a horse, thus 
depriving him, during the cold weather, of the warm 
coat Nature provides. It would be most cruel to 
do this, when a horse, by reason of neglect, was per- 
mitted to stand after heating exercise, without being 
well blanketed." 

I suppose the argument against clipping is that it 
is against nature? 

" Yes, that is the strongest argument, but as stab- 



io6 MY horse; my love. 

ling,drivirjg, and even domestication, are all artificial 
conditions it cannot well stand." 

But does he not take cold more readily without his 
winter's coat? 

" On the contrary, a horse with a heavy coat is all 
the better for being clipped, and is not nearly in so 
much danger of taking cold. When brought in 
'sweating' his heavy coat will not dry out readily, 
and unless 'worked' an hour or so to cool him off, 
will chill and shiver, even under the blanket, and 
that dread foe, pneumonia, may follow. A clipped 
horse is rubbed dry in a few moments, and being 
wrapped in his warm blanket, he is in a glow very 
soon. Experience proves that he eats better, feels 
better, will do more work cheerfully, and will even 
keep in better condition and sounder health on less 
food." 

Clipping certainly improves the appearance vastly. 

*' No doubt of it, giving the idea of excellent 
grooming and care, so immediately detected in the 
horse's coat, and I believe it adds greatly to his phys- 
ical comfort and well-being." 



CHAPTER XX. 

ARAB HORSES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

Are not Arab horses a specialty of some of the 
South American states, Count? 

" It is a matter of history that when Pizarro con- 
quered Peru in the sixteenth century, he carried 
from Spain less than a score of Andalusian Barbs. 
The natives had never seen a man riding astride of 
an animal, and their wonder deepened into terror 
and dismay, at the near approach of this little band 
of Centaurs. Seeing the four legs surmounted by a 
human body and head, and in their crude supersti- 
tion imagining it to be some new species of aveng- 
ing animal, the Inca natives fled, conquered by their 
fears. Amused by this easy conquest of the Lower 
Country, Pizarro took his army of vagabonds, 
gathered in Panama and amounting to about one 
hundred and fiftjrmen, led by the score of mounted 
Barbs, to the royal city in Peru of the reigning 
Atahualpa. Him, he took prisoner after getting 
possession of the city. 

" Discovering shortly Atahualpa's hold on the affec- 
tions of his people by the enormous ransom they 
offered for his redemption, he realized that such a 
prince would be a dangerous rival to his own in- 
fluence, and ordered his execution. This was os- 

107 



Io8 MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

tensibly, for the crime of unbelief; but it was 
delayed by the influence of a pious priest, who un- 
dertook to explain to the willing-, helpless Pagan 
the doctrine of the Trinity. He was unable to com- 
prehend it, but Pizarro promised him that he should 
not be burned to death if he would give him a room 
full of gold. The room which Pizarro signified was 
filled with gold, but the poor Pagan ruler of the 
Incas was subsequently butchered by the treacherous 
Spaniard. The removal of this powerful monarch 
and the settlement of Pizarro's quarrels with his 
partner Almagro, brought tranquillity to the con- 
quered land, which was at once placed under colonial 
government, subject to the Spanish crown. 

" Stirring reports of the wonderful wealth in pre- 
cious metals of this Eldorado having gone abrcad, 
intense excitement among all classes in Spain was 
created, of which the immediate result was exten- 
sive emigration to the new country. Thus the city 
of Truxillo, named for Pizarro's birthplace in Spain, 
was founded in the department of Libertad. Many 
of this colony of Spaniards were from the families of 
grandees, and with every ship-load of emigrants 
came its quota of Andalusian Barbs. These men, 
easily making slaves of the amiable natives, devoted 
themselves to agriculture, and became proprietors of 
vast domains. In the vicinity of Truxillo are still 
two haciendas, devoted to the breeding of horses, 
in which the blood of these imported Arabs remains 
pure to this day. Their progeny are found all over 
Northern Peru, where they are greatly affected as 
saddle-horses by military officers, political dignita- 



ARAB HORSES IN SOUTH AMERICA. lOQ 

ries and gentlemen of wealth. They are never har- 
nessed or driven. 

" One of the uses to which the Arab's grace, agil- 
ity, and intelligence especially fit him, is the 
national bull-fight. This, in Lima, is the most 
perfectly-placed specimen of its kind in the world. 
No cruelty is permitted there. It is worth the 
rider's reputation to. let his horse be injured, as those 
ridden are the very choicest from the haciendas. 
They are trained to the touch of the knee, both 
hands of the rider being devoted to exciting the 
wrath of the bull. As the toreador waves his capa, 
which conceals from the horse, the furious oncoming 
of the enraged brute, a pressure of the rider's knees 
against the sides of the perfectly trained Arab, causes 
him to swerve gracefully aside, and the bull is car- 
ried on far beyond, by his own momentum. As he 
returns to the charge the horse again coquettes with 
danger, until, to the sound of the bugle, he prances 
out of the arena, to let a second horse and rider take 
his place. Should a horse be injured in this danger- 
ous play, instead of exciting the plaudits of the 
audience — as in Madrid and Mexico, where the most 
worthless and broken-down are used, and gored to 
death — the rider would have to encounter the angry 
curses and contemptuous hisses of the multitude. 

" The matador on foot, whose duty it is to finally 
kill the bull by a sudden and direct plunge of his 
long sharp sword through the heart — thus causing 
him no suffering — shows wonderful courage, agility, 
and cool self-possession. He must strike with uner- 
ring aim or his own life will probably pay the forfeit. 



no MY HORSE; MV LOVE. 

"The scene is one of exciting and pleasing interest 
to the audience, which may hold its breath in cer- 
tain portions of it, but only as we do when our acro- 
bats take a flying leap from the topmost height of 
the circus tent. The bull, having been killed 
instantly, is hitched to four gayly-caparisoned white 
mules; and as a concluding funereal ceremony he is 
dragged around the vast circle of the amphitheatre, 
in order that every individual may get a glimpse of 
the creature so skilfully slain. Finally he is dragged 
out of the arena, through a portal under an archway, 
as another doomed and angry bull comes plunging 
in, excited and terrified by the noise of exploding 
bombs and rockets, the loud hurrahs and clapping 
of hands, and the deafening clamor of the military 
bands." 

There is a new idea in what you tell me. Count, 
in this fact, that not very far away from us, and on 
our own continent, are horses of the purest Arab 
blood, accessible and purchasable, which can be 
bought for a very moderate price. 

" Certainly, madam, and more beautiful and more 
perfectly trained than any saddle-horse to be seen in 
New York City." 

Yes, I can understand that when it comes to the 
breaking and training of horses we know very little 
about it in comparison to those who are entirely 
dependent upon them in their journeyings; whose 
travel is all in the saddle ; who know little of rail- 
roads and almost nothing of ordinary wheeled 
Vehicles. 



CHAPTER XXL 

ARAB HORSES IN NORTH AMERICA. 

Since all European Governments recognize the im- 
portance of Arab blood as the foundation for their 
national horses, has America been clever enough to 
take the cue from them and follow their example? 

"Until 1861, the initial year of America's civil 
war, the foundation blood of her finest horses was 
the choicest from England's thoroughbreds. This 
was always kept strongly reinforced by infusion of 
the blood of Arabian horses. " 

And was America able to secure them notwith- 
standing the many difficulties of purchase and im- 
portation? 

" An Arab stallion now and then found his way to 
America, through the persistence of travelers in 
securing them, either by fair means or foul. Their 
coming has not only always made a sensation, but 
the histories of their departure and their arrival here, 
have more or less of romance and mystery attached 
to them." 

There is no doubt of that. I have never heard 
anything about any individual Arabian horse that 
was not interesting, possibly because of the mystery 
that seemed to surround him, and the very natural 

III 



112 MY horse; my love. 

wonderment and question in one's mind as to " how 
did he ever get here?" 

'' Yes, that is the first question one naturally asks; 
for stratagem and not strictly fair dealing has been 
the means of securing most of them, except when 
they have been presented by the rulers of the coun- 
tries whence they came. " 

What is the earliest mention of their importation 
to this country? 

"About the year 1600 the arrival of two famous 
Arabians is mentioned, one called ' Abdallah, ' and the 
other, Lindsley's Arabian, 'Ranger.' These were 
the first known progenitors of Arab blood in this 
country. Several horses have been called for the first 
who were Abdallah in name only, and not in blood, 
as has been erroneously supposed." 

And what Arabians have come to us in this present 
century, Count? 

"As early as 1820 Charles D. Cox, United States 
Minister to Tunis, who married the daughter of the 
Bey of Tunis, was presented by the Bey with two 
Arab stallions, one a chestnut and the other a sorrel. 
They were sent over the seas in a sailing vessel, and 
landing safely, were kept on a farm in Middlesex 
Co., New Jersey. The sorrel was the sire of the 
original 'American Star,' the founder of the noted 
Star family, and from whom the Hambletonians 
derive their best qualities." 

Was not Stamboul an imported Arabian? 

" Yes, and of pure blood. Before the Minister to 
Turkey, Mr. Rhind, left Constantinople in 1832, 
he sent over three Arab horses, Zilcaadi, Stamboul, 



ARAB HORSES IN NORTH AMERICA. II3 

and Yemen. The etiquette between the two na- 
tions made it impossible for Minister Rhind to own 
them, and they were sold for the benefit of the 
United States Government. Yemen was taken to 
South Carolina. The Hon. Henry Clay and Hon. 
Mr. Berriman, then senators at Washington, were 
anxious to secure this noted blood to their own State 
of Kentucky, and so bought Zilcaadi and Stamboul. ' 

It must have been their progeny then that have 
made the fame of Kentucky horses? 

" Doubtless, madam, for from Zilcaadi came the 
famous 'Gold-dust' blood of that State, while Beau- 
tiful Bells, the cherished brood-mare, owned by 
Governor Stanford of California, is a granddaugh- 
ter of Stamboul on the maternal side. Then, too, 
the fastest colt ever bred by the late R. A. Alexander 
of Kentucky was from a granddaughter of Stam- 
boul." 

Was Grand Bashaw not an Arab? 

" He was a Barb, imported to Philadelphia about 
182 1 from Tripoli. The Logan family bred and 
owned young Bashaw, whose sire was Grand Bashaw, 
and whose dam was Fancy. She was a daughter of 
Pearl, who was a daughter of imported Messenger, 
four times inbred to Arabian blood, three times to 
the Arab Godolphin, and once to Darley's Arabian. 
Messenger, therefore, was the sire of Pearl on the 
maternal side." 

Henry Clay was not an imported horse, was he? 

" No, he was a native bom American, but was 
doubly interbred on both sides to Arab blood. This 
fact made him a phenomenal sire, and many of 
8 



114 MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

America's fastest trotting horses trace back their 
descent to old Henry Clay. The dam of Electioneer 
was also a Clay." 

And was not Electioneer the sire of Arion, who 
has lately been sold for $125,000 to Mr. Forbes of Bos- 
ton as a two-year-old? 

" Certainly, but the dam of Arion was three times 
interbred to the same blood, which is only another 
proof of the value of inter-breeding to pure blood 
derived from the Arab, the primitive." 

Is not Arion a near relation of Axtell? 

" Both Axtell and Allerton were interbred to the 
same blood as Arion's. " 

Is there not an interesting story connected with the 
rearing of Axtell? 

"Ah, yes, and one which proves again the errors of 
mismating, and the folly of experiments when mon- 
grel blood is used. Also it proves the fact that no 
type oi horse can be created except through Arab 
blood, and that all game qualities are due to that 
blood." 

Well, what is the story? 

" Two gentlemen of Dubuque, Iowa, purchased 
mares of fashionable name, to breed to the blood of 
certain other fashionable name in the sires. To 
their great disappointment the offspring proved an 
utter failure, and the mares were sold for a song as 
valueless. Mr. C. N. Williams bought the two for 
$225, and bred them to the same blood he believed 
the mares possessed — the Clay. Each in time pro- 
duced a colt. One was called Axtell and the other 
Allerton. When Mr. Williams had offered mares 



ARAB HORSES IN NORTH AMERICA. 



"5 




E- 
< 

o 

1-4 

1-1 

■< 



ii6 MY horse; my love. 

and colts for $250 apiece, and no purchaser was found, 
he concluded to train the colts himself. Both gave 
promise of rare speed. When Axtell beat the 
record at 2:12, as a three-year-old, the offer of 
$105,000 was made for him by a stock company 
in Indiana, to which he was sold at the price offered. " 

Then it is to the Arab-Clay blood predominating in 
Axtell which explains his phenomenal speed? And 
what became of Allerton? 

"Mr. Williams, having sold Axtell, began the 
training of Allerton, who proved the better horse, for 
as a four-year-old he trotted a mile in 2:10. These 
two colts are matched against each other for a purse 
of $10,000, but Allerton will not be sold for less than 
$200,000. They demonstrate the blood cause in the 
most satisfactory manner. " 

Whence comes the Wilkes family? 

" The dam of George Wilkes was a daughter of 
Henry Clay, which blood made him the phenomenal 
sire he was. Rysdyk's Hambletonian is credited to 
the Wilkes family." 

Was there not a famous Arab called Black Em- 
peror? 

"Yes, madam. Black Emperor was a Barb, 
although registered in Bruce's American thorough- 
bred stud-book, as an Arab. He was presented to 
the ambassador from France in 1857 by the Sultan of 
Morocco. Mr. Scott, an American, purchased him 
in Morocco from the ambassador for $7,000. He 
was at once shipped to England and thence brought 
to America by Mr. Scott, who subsequently sold him 
to Mr. John B. Hall, of Toronto, Canada. Black 



ARAB HORSES IN NORTH AMERICA. II 7 

Emperor left a son whom Mr. Hall presented to his 
son-in-law, President H. M. Claflin, of Cleveland, 
Ohio. This son was known as Black Emperor, Jr., 
a daughter of his — and granddaughter of the im- 
ported Arab, Black Emperor — made a visit not many 
years ago to Abdul Hamid II. of the Americo-Arab 
Company of Long Island. The result was the colt, 
Fez, who will be shown at the World's Fair Exposi- 
tion in Chicago, matching, if not rivalling, anything 
of his age there on exhibition. " 



CHAPTER XXII. 

SECRETARY SEWARD'S ARABS. 

Did not the horses brought out by William H. 
Seward create some sensation and controversy? 

*' Undoubtedly so. Mr. Seward was sent to Syria 
to adjust some difficulties between the two govern- 
ments. The matter was finally settled in the crimi- 
nal courts and was so amicably and satisfactorily 
adjusted that the Syrian government, to show its 
appreciation of Mr. Seward's clever diplomacy, 
asked him to express some wish which it was in 
their power to gratify. Mr. Seward, always inter- 
ested in the agricultural needs of his country, espe- 
cially of New York State, replied that if the Syrian 
government would help him to procure some pure- 
blooded Arabs to send home, the)" would not only 
confer upon him a personal favor, but would also 
benefit the United States more than in any other 
way. At that time there were some beautiful Arabs 
imder the control of the Syrians. Of these the clerk 
of the Criminal Court selected a blood-bay stallion, 
eight years old, and a chestnut colt, two years old; 
also a white mare, who, unfortunately, died on the 
way. They arrived in iS6o, the expenses of their 
journey amounting to $10,000. 

" Mr. Seward offered them as a gift to the New 

118 



SECRETARY SEWARD'S ARABS. II9 

York State Agricultural Society if the society would 
pay the expenses of their importation. It was a poor 
return for Mr. Seward's generosity — even when ex- 
cused by the great excitement attendant upon the 
breaking out of the civil war — that they refused to 
comply with his very just proposal. In this emer- 
gency, as he had sought, in the acceptance of the 
gift, to benefit his country, he presented the two- 
year-old colt to Mr. Ezra Cornell of Ithaca, N. Y., 
and the stallion to Hon. John E. Van Etten of Kings- 
ton, N. Y." 

And what of their progeny? 

" The stallion was known to be the sire of only two 
animals. One was a gray filly, bred by Judge West- 
brook of Kingston, and the other a colt, bred by a 
nephew* of Judge Sackett of Auburn, N. Y. The 
colt was shown as a three-year-old in the State Fair 
at Rochester, and won a special gold medal for being 
the handsomest horse on the grounds. Subsequently 
he was sold to Canton, Ohio, where he died leaving 
two fillies only. They are now owned by the Myers' 
stock-farm at Canton." 

What became of the chestnut colt? 

*' Ah, poor fellow, he died simply from neglect, 
the war just then— causing such absorption of all 
men's thoughts, that all things else seemed of little 
importance. At that time many of our best and 
most noted trotters were always spoken of with pride, 
as coming from Arab ancestors. Morgan was an 
Anglo-Arabian, and the dam of Dolly Spanker, an 
inbred Morgan mare, while Sherman Morgan and 
Buckshot were doubly inbred to Morgan. Gano was 



120 MY horse; my love, 

by American Eclipse, who also boasted the Arab 
strain. Thus it was that the Arab blood was spread 
throughout the United States up to 1861. It was not 
only known and most highly valued by intelligent 
breeders, but was considered absolutely essential to 
the making of a perfect horse." 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

SELIM. 

All these imported horses that you have spoken of, 
Count, were presents or purchased with the consent 
of the "powers that be." In what cases was strata- 
gem used? 

"Judge Richard Jones, of Lower Merion, Mont- 
gomery Co., Penn., who had been appointed consul 
to Morocco from that district, was an exceptionally 
honest man. But much against his inclination he 
finally resorted to stratagem, in order to secure the 
famous 'Selim.' During the whole term of his con- 
sulate, about 1840 to 1845, he tried in various ways 
to buy this horse who had so captivated his fancy, 
but the Sultan forbade the sale and export, and the 
owner fought shy of the judge." 

But you say he finally secured him? 

" He reasoned with himself a long time before he 
would admit the Temptation which was gradually 
conquering him. His servant, a native, understood 
perfectly the struggle in his master's mind, and hav- 
ing become much attached to him, determined to 
help him. 

"'You want Selim, Effendi?' 

"*I do, indeed, Rustam, but they won't listen to 
his being sold. ' 

121 



122 . MY horse; my LOVE. 

"'No,' said Rustam, shaking his head, 'nobody 
can buy Selim, he too good horse to go away over 
the sea. What will the Effendi pay for Selim?' 

"'I will gladly give $4,000 for him, but I tell you 
he can't be bought.' 

" 'The Effendi is right. If the Effendi try to take 
Selim, wicked men kill Effendi.' 

" 'Well, I might as well give it up, Rustam, and as 
I sail for home in a day or two I must go without 
my beauty. It is too bad!' 

"Rustam soliloquized: 'The Effendi sail to-mor- 
row night. No moon — all dark. Four thousand dol- 
lars!' Aloud, 'Rustam very sorry, Effendi.' 

"With a sharp look at Rustam — 'Get out, you 
miserable tempter! I'm an honest man and must 
go without Selim. ' 

" The ship still lay at anchor the next night on a 
dark sea, lashed to quiet by the torrents of rain that 
were descending. The judge paced up and down on 
the covered deck thinking sadly of his disappoint- 
ment and wondering what caused so unusual a com- 
motion on the ship, when Rustam suddenly appeared 
before him: 

" 'What brings you here, Rustam?' said the startled 
judge. 

" 'Rustam steal Selim away! Effendi very good 
master! Selim here on ship, he go too. ' 

'"You rascal! Is it possible you have stolen 
Selim and have brought him here on board?' 

"With excited affirmative gesture: *Yes, yes, 
Effendi. Selim come with me! Nobody know 
where he go! Rustam take money, put in Selim "s 



SELIM. 123 

place! Gold good! Make owner rich! Buy more 
horse! Too late, now, wSelim stay here!' 

*' The temptation was too great for the judge, and 
counting out the $4,000 in gold he handed it to his 
faithful servant, knowing it would find its way to 
Selim's owner. Not forgetting Rustam's service he 
rewarded him liberally, and bade him depart, as the 
ship was about to set sail. 

" The judge and Selim arrived in due time and in 
good condition at the judge's farm. Selim's blood 
laid the foundation for the finest breed of horses 
ever raised in that country. His arrival caused 
a furore among the breeders, all anxious to secure his 
blood. Among others, Jonathan Roberts, then 
United States senator, bred to him, and owned 
several of his colts, among whom were Murad Bey 
and Selimair. As late as 1861, Selim was sent from 
Philadelphia and shown at Mineola, L. I., at the 
State Fair, as a 'noted gray Arab stallion. * He was 
small, gray in color, and had all the finest points of 
the 'true air-drinker of the desert.' " 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

ABDALLAH. 

Has the importation of any other Arab a similar 
history, Count? 

*' I remember talking with an old sea-captain some 
twenty years ago, and he related these facts: Many 
years before he had been in command of a trading 
schooner plying between New York and Morocco. 
As he was about to set sail from the latter port on 
his return voyage, he had been very busy all day 
superintending the shipping of the cargo. The dark- 
ness fell early and the night was black with threat- 
ening clouds, so that the sailors had quit work, had 
eaten their rations, and were about to turn in, when 
the ship was signalled from the shore. Soon a boat 
lay alongside, and a voice from it desired speech of 
the captain. After a few moments' conference, he 
decided to go ashore. As he landed, there stood im- 
patiently waiting, a Moor. Beside him, pawing the 
ground and sniffing the salt air, was a horse of the 
most beautiful proportions, and with every mark of 
the finest blood. The Moor wasted no words in ex- 
planation, but requested the captain to take the 
horse aboard his schooner, carry him to New York, 
and deliver him in safety to the person to whom he 
was consigned. There was no time to demur and a 

124 



ABDALLAH. 1 25 

good round sum in gold being counted out, in pay- 
ment of the horse's passage, with some difficulty the 
young Arabian stallion reached at last the deck of 
the schooner. 

"The Moor then confided to the captain these 
facts. A very large sum of gold had been paid for 
the Arab, which was of Abdallah breed, with direc- 
tions that he should be shipped to America. But the 
tribe, of which he was the pride, and from which he 
had been purchased, finding that the owner resented 
their interference in his sale, appealed to the Sultan. 
The Sultan at once forbade the departure of the horse 
from the country, and the American consul's author- 
ity was also called into requisition to prevent it. 
While the dispute still raged, the wily Moor was 
flying toward the coast under cover of the darkness 
with the result described. The captain remembered 
well, being greatly impressed by it, how the Moor, 
to prove his horse's ancestry had pointed out to him 
the marks branded with a fine needle, which were 
written on the inside of each foreleg, thereby telling 
the story of his birth." 

And was he the progenitor also of a race of fine 
horses? 

" Unfortunately, no-f for he lived but a short time 
after reaching America. " 

Then this may have been the ** Abdallah" which 
died on Long Island many years ago, from starva- 
tion ? 

"It is impossible to tell, for there is much mystery, 
and many uncertain statements have been made about 
the fisherman's Arab, which was allowed to starve to 



126 MV HORSE; MY LOVE. 

death on the Lon^ Island coast. The old sea-captain 
believed it to be the Abdallah Arab he had brought 
over, as no trace of him could he find. The Abdallah 
had never been broken to harness or the plough, and 
the fisherman, into whose hands it was supposed he 
had fallen, vexed by his proud spirit, which could 
brook no such humiliating labor as was required of 
him, turned him out in disgust rather than be at the 
trouble and expense of feeding him." 

I have heard it claimed by some Long Island na- 
tives that the Abdallah who died thus was Abdallah 
only in name and not in blood; although he was sup- 
posed to be the sire of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, 
whose dam was a Conestoga draught-mare. This 
horse, Abdallah, it is said, could neither trot nor run, 
was lazy and vicious, and the fisherman's patience 
coming to an end, he turned him out to find a living 
for himself. 

**The identity of this horse has never been fully 
established, but it is plain to be seen that any creature 
turned out on the barren sands of the Long Island 
coast would have little chance to find a living, and 
must inevitably die from lack of both food and 
water. " 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE AMERICAN HORSE. 

Was our civil war so immensely destructive of our 
best horses, Count? 

"Alas, yes! the war almost depleted the country 
of its thoroughbreds. I had not yet found a home 
in America, but all Europe rang with accounts of 
the hearty response, and self-forgetting rush to arms, 
which was made by men of all classes, in defense of 
their country and its honored institutions." 

Ah, Count, that was but the practical expression 
of a noble patriotism ! There are many large and 
generous hearts in America, and each individual 
man and woman longed to help, if only a little. I 
know that the farmers and owners of valuable breeds 
offered willingly to the government their most 
precious possessions, their horses, and begged Presi- 
dent Lincoln to accept them. The proportion of 
horses to men was one hundred to one, and it seems 
incredible that so many should have been slain! 

" It seems so, but those offered were the best and 
finest in the land, and were the stallions and geld- 
ings. The mares were left at home for the very 
good reason that in battle they are likely to stam- 
pede and create a panic through fright. Horses 
have more nerve. The beat of the drum, the call to 
arms, the familiar toot of the bugle and horn, and the 

127 



128 . MY HORSE; MY LOVE. 

Stirring march of the regimental band, are music in 
their ears, and an impulse to their going. ' 

Very true, and every soldier has something to 
tell of the surprising and intelligent faithfulness of 
his horse in battle. How many I have heard grieve 
over their loss or their wounds! They seemed ever 
bound together in a mutual love, the soldier for his 
horse, and the horse for his maiter. 

'' Up to that time the foundation blood of America's 
best horses was the choicest from England's thor- 
oughbreds, which was always kept strongly reinforced 
by infusion of Arabian blood. For fifty years New 
England had been proud of her Morgan horse created 
from Arab blood. New York and Long Island 
boasted with proper spirit of the families of Henry 
Clay and Andrew Jackson, while Long Island was 
the home of the famous Messenger of direct Arab 
blood, and also of Wildair, inbred to Arab blood. 
The latter, after importation from England, was so 
highly prized there that he was repurchased," 

Then it was these noted stallions who were the pro- 
genitors of the finest horses in the country, and who 
gave the foundation blood to all the trotting speed of 
which America could then boast? 

" Yes, madam, but when this immense army of 
horses was sent to the front, the mares at home were 
left without mates equal to them in blood. Only the 
basest of stallions, in fact, the commonest mongrels 
were left to mate with these blooded mares. As the 
progeny of mongrel blood does not 'train on' with 
successive generations, the reproduction of thorough- 
bred horses was an impossibility. From this time 



THE AMERICAN HORSE. 1 29 

dates the advent of what is known as the American 
horse. No heavier blow to the reputation of Ameri- 
can horse-breeders could have fallen than this, for 
it is impossible to create a type from a mongrel of any 
animal, except a mongrel. " 

Then it is conceded, after long experiment, that no 
valuable type can be created, except through the infu- 
sion of pure blood? 

" Yes, madam, we may say that we have an Ameri- 
can horse with certain characteristics of much money 
value to his owner; but does it reproduce with cer- 
tainty any quality that is in demand by any other 
nation? Alas! it is only too well proved that the 
American trotting horse, bred experimentally, in so 
many cases, does not reproduce two per cent, of trot- 
ting speed. From Maine to the Pacific coast the 
country is flooded with horses which have no type, 
are uncertainly bred, and unintelligently trained, 
which are not in demand for export, and at which all 
foreign nations may shrug disdainful .shoulders." 

But, Count, are you not very hard on us? Think 
of our magnificent trotters who beat the world I 
Sunol and Arion, and Axtell, and Allerton ! 

" Yes, they have earned a world-wide fame, prov- 
ing the exception ta^e rule. But have they not 
come by accident, as it were, and without any 
surety beforehand, of their being anything phenom- 
enal? Within the last few years only have the 
breeders here, with the exception of a very few 
scientific men, begun to realize their own ignorance 
and foolish mistakes in getting away from the blood 
cause. There is a little secret about breeding to 
9 



I30 



MY HORSE; MV IA)\E. 




THE AMERICAN HORSE. I3I 

make the produce sure, which it takes the uninitiated 
a long time to find out, and which many American 
breeders have not yet discovered." 

Then those who, tired of experiments, have begun 
to follow out certain inevitable laws in mating, are 
those who have met with success? 

" Yes, and proud of it they may well be ! They 
alone have saved the vanishing reputation of the 
American trotter." 

Do we not export our trotting-horses> 

** Once in a while a phenomenal trotter with a 
wide reputation is sent over to the other side ; but 
they are^ not exported as a type, or to take the first 
place in a stud of thoroughbreds, although they are 
universally admired." 

But only lately the Czar of Russia asked Governor 
Stanford for an exchange of trotting mares with his 
Russian Orloffs. Would not both countries be 
mutually benefited b)^ such an exchange? 

'* If fine trotting mares are sent from America the 
Czar may get the best of the bargain, or as a Russian 
saying goes, 'He will have the hatchet, and we shall 
get the handle. ' " 

Are the Orloffs trotters? 

" Yes, madam, but their gait is very different 
from that of the American trotter. When the Orloff 
trots he leaves always a certain distance between his 
hind and fore-legs The American trotter throws his 
hind legs ahead of his fore-legs at every step, his 
hind legs being of abnormal length. The step of 
the Orloff is more graceful, inherited directly from 
the best of the Turcoman horses. " 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



"standard bred" horses. 



Do we not export other animals than horses? 

" Yes, certainly, hogs in barrels and butchered 
bullocks in ice, if you will kindly excuse the blunt- 
ness of the statement. With all the vast and un- 
paralleled facilities in this magnificent country for 
growing live stock — which it is estimated can be 
done ninety per cent, cheaper here than in any coun- 
try in Europe — America exports no animals except 
as they go to be butchered." 

Can this be true, Count? 

"Ah, madam, if you will read the statistics you 
will see that it is by the continued annual importation 
of breeding stock from England and Scotland that the 
cattle in the great West do not deteriorate. Is it to 
the credit of this great continent, with its vast graz- 
ing lands, its fertile valleys, its unlimited supply of 
fresh spring water, its spreading shade trees, its 
beneficent if changeable climate, that we import, in 
almost all cases, our thoroughbred animals instead of 
mating properly, and breeding intelligently, and so 
creating types of our own?" 

Then it is true that we pay from five to seven mill- 
ions of dollars annually to France and England 
alone for the importation of brood-stock? 

132 



STANDARD BRED HORSES. 1 33 

" Yes, those are the figures. The type is destroyed 
here at once by crossing, and deal^s abroad profit 
by this continued mistake — the destruction of the 
types — and are therefore not averse to its encourage- 
ment, so long as their animals continue in demand. 
As soon as the various types of English horses are 
brought over, they are mongrelized by constant 
crossings, and thus the type cannot be sustained." 

Do you know, Count, that England is to be repre- 
sented by seven different types of horses at our 
World's Fair Exposition at Chicago in 1893? 

" Ah, yes, England will be well represented there 
in that matter; for she sends not only her horses, 
but her sheep, cattle, hogs, and fowls all over the 
world for brood purposes. Her different families of 
thoroughbreds, all created from the Arab blood, are 
in demand by every other civilized nation for the pur- 
pose of creating new and perfect types." 

Well, Count, I wonder if you can guess how many 
types of American horses are to be represented at 
our World's Fair in 1893? 

" Madam, you puzzle me by such a question — 
please explain." 

The World's Fair Commission allows fourteen 
classes of horses for awards. Of these classes seven 
are of English created types, three of French, one of 
Belgian, one of German, all created from the Arab, 
and one from the Shetland Isles. The one that is left 
is to be devoted to the American " Standard-bred. " 
To all our great, free, boundless, boasting Yankee 
nation, we are entitled to, and I suppose satisfied 
with, one kind of horse. I could hardly believe my 



134 MV horse; my love. 

own eyes when I read the little pamphlet which told 
of this remarkable distribution of honors and awards. 

" But, madam, there is but one horse in America 
which approaches a type, and that is the 'Standard- 
bred. • " 

And how does the term come? 

" It is entirely arbitrary. No American horse can 
be entered at the Columbian Exposition unless he 
be 'Standard-bred' according to the register, and for 
the privilege of entry his owner must pay so much." 

Is there not strong indignation at this injustice to 
other classes? 

" Undoubtedly, and praiseworthy efforts are being 
made by horsemen to change a rule 'better honored 
in the breach than in the observance. ' " 

What is the real meaning of the term " Standard- 
bred?" 

" It means that the only excellence in the horse 
considered necessary is speed at an established 
rate. If he can trot in 2 130 he is entitled to be con- 
sidered 'Standard-bred,' or, if having been gambled 
in races, he has beaten some other horse, he may 
aspire to the dubious distinction." 

Then it describes no type; it belongs to no family; 
it can prove no ancestry? 

"What you say is all true, madam." 

Well, one might as well say a cow is " Standard- 
bred," when she gives fifteen quarts of milk a day, 
and is not so when she fails to give so much. Or, 
that a dog is no setter unless he makes so many 
points an hour. The name must include many 
horses that are not desirable, and exclude many 



STANDARD BRED HORSES. I35 

others who deserve not to be thus humiliated. So 
the distinction of being " Standard-bred," according 
to an arbitrary register, cannot be flattering to our 
national pride. 

" After all, madam, it is only a convenient term 
adopted for want of a better, and to cover possibly 
many deficiencies. Breeders and owners will want 
to exhibit such horses as show the true virtues of 
noble descent, so doubtless the World's Fair Com- 
missioners will realize the justice of this before it is 
too late." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

GENERAL GRANT's HORSES. 

I HAVE understood that Governor Stanford believes 
with Mr. Bonner that thoroughbred blood in the 
trotter is the essential which makes and breaks 
records; that cold blood has not the staying quality 
of thoroughbred blood, and that an infusion of it 
is necessary to give suppleness to the knee joints, as 
well as many other qualities which are desirable. 

" Governor Stanford has been highly successful 
with the scientifically bred, and carefully reared, 
members of his stud. It is said that California, par- 
ticularly that part of it subject to the invigorating 
coast winds, is destined to become the horse-breed- 
ing district of the nation. That in California, with 
its twelve months' freedom from such inclement 
weather that horses need not be closely stabled, not 
losing, as they do elsewhere, four or five months of 
fresh air and regular exercise, all the equine aristoc- 
racy of America will be found sooner or later." 

Do Governor Stanford, Mr. Bonner, and others 
breed only trotting horses? 

" Undoubtedly the horse most in popular favor 
here is the trotting horse. If he can trot in 2 130 so 
much the better, for then he is sure to have undisputed 
sway as a race-horse, especially in the small West- 

136 



GENERAL GRANT's HORSES. 



137 




2; 

O 

•-) 

H 

en 

cq 

«»: 



O 

2; 
W 
U 



13^ MY horse; my love. 

ern towns. Here and there I have discovered a 
horse with excellent blood lines, in the most obscure 
places. Only the other day, in this almost deserted 
village, I was attracted by the step and air of a 
little black mare pulling a butcher's cart. Falling 
into conversation with her owner, the butcher, I 
took a quick mental survey of the mare, and was con- 
vinced that she only needs proper training to do a 
day's work at fast trotting, which means one hun- 
dred miles in ten consecutive hours. " 

Have you ever known a horse to make such time 
as that? 

" Yes, I knew of one who had no special record, who 
travelled one hundred miles in nine hours and forty- 
five minutes. That is where the Arab will always 
win over the English thoroughbred. The latter may 
outrun the Arab, in the races for which he has been 
trained, but when the thoroughbred begins to show 
signs of fatigue the Arab is just 'getting down* to 
work." 

I wonder did the butcher know what a prize he 
possessed? 

" He seemed to have not the least idea of it, 
although he said * she was a good little mare,* but 
he knew nothing of her ancestry." 

The light harness-horse of America has a great 
many admirers. 

" Yes, and deservedly so. When properly broken 
and trained they make fine and valuable specimens 
of equine beauty. " 

Have they special blood-lines? 

" When carefully bred from thoroughbred sires 



GENERAL GRANT S HORSES. I39 

and dams their blood-lines are distinctive. They 
again prove the blood cause and for general worth 
and utility have few rfvals. " 

Have many Arabian horses come to us since the 
close of the war? 

" You have heard of course, of Leopard and Linden 
Tree presented to General Grant by Abdul Hamid, 
the Sultan of Turkey? No American was more fully 
alive to the fact of the sad reduction in numbers and 
quality of American horses during the war; and no 
man ever lived who more dearly loved a good horse 
than General Grant. His acceptance of the Arabs 
was in a great measure influenced by their special 
worth in the stud, realizing that the race must be 
rebuilt." 

Did you not say, there was some doubt, about 
General Grant's horses, being the true-bred sons of 
the desert? 

" There has often been such a doubt expressed. " 

Possibly General Grant's letter to Mr. Huntington 
on the subject may convince the unbelieving, and I 
am glad to be able to show it to 3^ou. 

Did he ever drive these horses? 

"They were possibly not broken to harness, but 
if so, he denied himself a great pleasure, and the 
immediate disposal of Leopard to General Beale and 
of Linden to his son, showed his interests and con- 
fidence in the infusion of Arab blood. He hoped 
that from them a new and better type of horse might 
be created. The)' are the only Arab stallions now 
in America, it is said, and their progeny are a most 
distinctive and superior type." 



140 



MY horse; my love. 




GENERAL GRANX'S HORSES, 14^ 






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CHAPTER XXVIII. 

AMERICO-ARAB STUD. 

You have doubtless visited the stud on Long 
Island where this famil)' of Americo- Arabs is bred? 

'* Only a few weeks ago I was there and examined 
with great interest, the various members of this 
unique family. Some of them were very handsome 
animals." 

The beautiful mare, Naomi, and her filly, Ruth- 
Clay, were there? 

*' Certainly. Naomi is said to be the only Arab 
mare ever imported to this country, no record of any 
other having been found." 

It was with great difficulty and only through the 
influence of powerful friends in Europe that the 
president of the company succeeded in importing and 
securing Naomi. 

"Yes, her arrival was a happy event, as Mr. 
Himtington believes that the Arab is primitive and 
perfect, and reproduces himself with all mental 
and physical perfection; that all of our values in 
the horse, whether to trot, pace, or run, come from 
the Arab, and that all good qualities are less or 
greater, according to the amount of good Arab 
blood. Crossings are but the dilution of blood cause. 
He realized the necessity of having more pure Arab 

142 



AMERICO-ARAB STUD. I43 

blood, especially in the female line, that a promis- 
cuous use of it is not satisfactory, and that an affinity 
blood is essential. " 

Then he adopted the methods employed in the 
Old World? 

" Exactly so, and as here the Clay, Morgan, and 
Gold-dust families are strongest in the Arab blood, 
he selected virgin mares to mate with General 
Grant's Arabs, and was fortunate in the get of one 
filly and three colts. While these were growing he 
interbred these three families, getting a harem of 
fillies which at maturity he mated with the sons of 
Leopard and Linden Tree. The result was the 
foundation of a superb stud of thoroughbreds." 

Why do they refuse to sell these horses? 

" Because it is desirable to have a family so large 
that it can reproduce itself, then the annual sales need 
not weaken the strength of the plant. By close breed- 
ing with this Arab blood, the animals he might sell 
in the one blood will be so near to the primitive, that 
the improved results will be positive, and will, there- 
fore, benefit any community into which they may 
be introduced. " 

Then the object of this company is to breed such 
perfect horses from the Arab as to elevate the blood- 
standard in the United States. 

"You have said it, madam, and it can only be re- 
garded as a national triumph to breed a pure type 
that shall ivith certainty reproduce itself in any coun- 
try, and to perpetuate it until it shall be known, 
recognized, approved, and earnestly sought for by 
every other nation as the American horse,'' 



144 ^*Y horse; my love. 

Did 3'ou see any of the direct progeny of General 
Grant's Arabs, Count? 

"Abdul Hamid II., a golden sorrel, and Abdul 
Hamid III., a bay, are a son and grandson of 
Leopard. Although Leopard and Linden are grays 
strange to say, none of their progeny are gray. 
Abdul Hamid III. was from an own sister to the 
dam of his sire, Abdul Hamid II. Both these stal- 
lions are much larger than their sire and grandsire, 
Leopard. Their dams were Mary and Topsy vShep- 
ard, by Jack Shepard, a son of Henry Clay, from a 
granddaughter of imported Messenger. The heads 
of this Leopard family are uniformly fine and clean, 
with straight faces Their limbs show their good 
blood, and their hocks are clean, as if chiselled 
from marble. They show fine trotting action, all to 
the credit of their sire, Leopard." 

Is Linden's produce there also? 

" Hegira, by Linden, was from a daughter of 
Henry Clay. This horse stands fifteen and one-half 
hands high barefoot, and is a rich, dapple coal-black. 
Linden was purchased by Abdul Hamid II., Sultan 
of Turkey, from an Egyptian merchant. It is said 
that all of the Sultan's Arabs are either seized by his 
tax-gatherers, or purchased by their agents. Hegira, 
by Linden, represents entirely different blood, 
from the get by Leopard. The head is shorter, 
finer in the muzzle, deeper and broader between 
jowls, dished in the face, with great breadth 
between the eyes. The ears are shorter and finer, 
the rump more sloping, showing all the characteris- 



AMERICO-ARAB STUD. I45 

tics of the pure Barb, a special family descending 
from the Numidian horse, also an Arab. 

^* Euphrates, a son of Hegira, from Mary Shepard, 
is the counterpart of his sire in build and color; but 
is phenomenal in that even at a walk he takes the 
pacing step. This inclination to pace is shown in all 
the get of Hegira, although he is a square-gaited 
trotter; and from the beginning of these special 
breedings no horse or mare was ever known to pace 
until Euphrates set the fashion. 

" The sire of Clay Truth, a game and resolute trotter 
with a delightful disposition, was Ashland by Henry 
Clay. His dam was interbred to the blood of Justin 
Morgan, the Arab founder of the Morgan family. 

" A horse showing fine trotting speed is Young 
Jack Shepard by Jack Shepard, by Henry Clay and 
from Kate McPherson, by Henry Clay. He is a beau- 
tiful dapple gray. " 

Where was Henry Clay born? 

"He was born on Long Island, not far from where 
the Arab, Anglo-Arab, and Clay Stock Farm Com- 
pany is located. In this collection is the only daugh- 
ter of Henry Clay now living, not too old to produce ; 
while the interbred sons and daughters have come 
back to Long Island, to restore to her, the prestige 
she lost, when all the blood of Andrew Jackson (the 
Anglo-Arab bred sire of Henry Clay) was sold away 
from it." 

But you have told me so little, Count, of the 
Arab mare, Naomi. 

*' There is no doubt whatever of the absolute 
10 



146 MY horse; MY LOVE. 

purity of Naomi's blood. The late Captain Roger 
Upton, of the English Army, who lived frequently 
among the Arabs, and was an enthusiast about pure 
horses, himself purchased both her parents at great 
cost from the Gomussa tribe, in the Euphrates val- 
ley. Naomi was foaled a few days after their arrival 
in England. Her sire was Yataghen, 14.3, and her 
dam Haidee, also 14.3. Both these were Maneghi, 
considered in the desert the choicest of all families. 
They have, as a rule, finer action, and if possible, 
a greater amount of wear and tear in them. On 
the other hand, they are a little larger and coarser 
in the head sometimes, than, for instance, the 
Seglawi Jedran. An alliance between the last-named 
family and the Maneghi is simply perfect, so far as 
blood goes. Owing to the system of Naomi's rearing 
she is the largest pure Arabian I have seen, being 
15^ hands high." 

English breeders did not relish the idea of her 
being sent here, I've heard. 

''No, but her owner, the Rev. F. F. Vidal, of 
Suffolk County, England, was so interested in the 
efforts of this company to breed pure Arabs (and 
because of his illness induced to relinquish his stud) 
that he at last listened to the petitions for her and 
sent her over. Her colt, Gomussa, now in Chili, 
was by Kouch. All race-horsemen in America, as 
well as England, know that the opinion of the cele- 
brated jockey, Fred Archer, was of great value. He 
rode Kismet in his English races, and pronounced 
him the gamest horse and best finisher of a race he 
had ever ridden." 



AMERICO-ARAB STUD. 



147 




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148 MV horse; mv i.ovk. 

What get has Naomi here? 

" Since coming to this country she has produced the 
beautiful colt, Anazeh — now two years old — by Gen- 
eral Grant's Leopard. This gives Anazeh the distinc- 
tion of being the first pure-bred Arabian horse born 
in the United States, both sire and dam being im- 
ported as the true * air-drinkers of the desert.' In 
i8qo the dainty filly, Ruth Clay, was born, whose 
sire is Jack Shepard. Ruth Clay roams with her 
mother, Naomi, without bridle or halter, as tame as 
any dog, about the unfenced grounds surrounding her 
master's house. They both expect caresses and 
come for them with a little air of curiosity toward 2 
stranger, that partakes not in the least of feai 
Naomi has all the dignity of aristocratic birth and 
associations, walking up to you as sedately as you 
please, to have her pretty face stroked. When a 
lump of sugar is not in evidence, Ruth pokes her 
dainty muzzle about her mistress* skirts to find her 
pocket, and the sugar dropped within it. She is 
playful, alert, coquettish, and full of mischievous 
pranks, and like her dam, bids fair to remind one of 
the quotation, 'In her, strength and beauty have 
come together, ' and all the pride of all her race, in 
herself reflected lives." 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

CONCLUSION. 

In all my conversations with the Count little has 
been said about the inevitable effects of climate on all 
races of men and animals. It is so interesting a 
study, that many chapters might be needed to do jus- 
tice to the subject. A few words now regarding it 
may not be amiss. 

That climate makes and unmakes different types 
of races in man, is a conceded fact, even to a com- 
plete change of form and feature. The dark, glow- 
ing eyes of the fervid South, after two or three gen- 
erations, become blue or gray with softer lights, 
when transplanted to the North, and the hair, black 
as night, turns to tender brown or shining gold. 
Owing to the different conditions of climate another 
type is being evolved, and even the nature and dis- 
position are undergoing a radical change. 

In England, the mild-tempered climate tends to 
round out the foTm, and to give a reddish glow to 
the face. To expect the same type in France, only 
across the channel, would be absurd, or to mistake 
an Italian for a German would be laughable. The 
climate in these countries is pronounced, and so are 
the types. With our entirely uncertain climxate who 
can be sure of any distinct type in America? We 

149 



150 MY HORSE; MY LOVE, 

have our class distinctions, our various social levels, 
our families, proud of their American ancestry; and 
to serve us all, v^e import from every country under 
the sun. We are always importing distinct types 
of live stock, both of man and beast, and our importa- 
tions "come to stay." But even after many years — 
beyond the "y> ne sais qiioi^'' which betrays our 
nationality — who can assert that America has a type? 
Do we owe this fact to our ever changing climate, 
which w^oos us with coquettish smile, caressing our 
expectant cheeks with balmy breezes from the Sunny 
South, and embracing us in a loving, generous 
warmth one day, and the next! with blackest f:own; 
pelts us unmercifully with wind and storm, hail and 
rain, with terrifying thunder which roars at us, and 
angry lightning which strikes and blinds and destroys 
us? With nothing positive in the way of climate, 
our differing types have no chance to become fixed, 
and the student who loves to arrange and classify 
will yield the attempt in despair. 

When we import a horse of whatever type, after 
two or three generations his progeny loses his dis- 
tinctive marks, and in two or three more the climate 
has obliterated any that might be left. Some three 
hundred years ago when the Spanish horses entered 
America, some of them escaped to the great plains 
of the West. From them has been evolved the native 
horse of America, the broncho. The conditions of 
climate have made him what he is, strong, rough, and 
hardy; able to exist on the scantiest of food, in the 
severest weather. He would probably turn up his 
nose at a "warm mash," thinking it "food for 



CONCLUSION. ,151 

babes," and would no doubt resent a daily groom- 
ing as an unwarranted liberty. He remains a sav- 
age, and as a savage cannot always be trusted. But 
when he is caught and fairly tamed, he can do more 
hard steady work in a day, than the pampered, 
petted stabled horse of the East, could do in three. 
This broncho is our national type, evolved by the 
climate of the plains, and in direct contrast to the 
tame, gentle, and affectionate Arab, reared in the 
wilds of the scorching unprotected desert. Small 
in size, they are both hardy, enduring, and able to 
travel great distances without fatigue and here the 
two extremes of climate, seem to develop similar 
characteristics of endurance. When we can control 
our climate we may be able to develop fixed types; 
but until then it must be our excuse, that something 
different from what we so often expect, appears. 

The shrewdest and most thoughtful observers and 
students of animal life are frequently those, who give 
not to the doubting world the benefit of their wisdom 
and experience. Too often they are misunderstood 
and any facts that seem strange and new, and yet are 
as old as the memory of man, are received with 
doubt, contempt, and ridicule. In a way we Ameri- 
cans are a self-satisfied, self-sufficient people, pro- 
claiming our patriotic love for our newly-founded in- 
stitutions, by ignoring the wisdom gained in the Old 
World, through centuries of practical experience. 
Many things that we have never thought about at all, 
or that are just beginning to present themselves to 
our intelligence, have occupied the close attention of 
foreign governments for hundreds of years. Facts 



152. MY horse; my love. 

are stubborn things, and cannot be obliterated by 
any amount of denial or argument. The Austrian, 
French, Russian, German, Italian, and other Euro- 
pean goverments have studied deeply, the blood 
cause in horses, and having a wide and comprehen- 
sive faith in their own methods, naturally look with 
disdain upon ignorant and unscientific breeders. 

The English have admired always what is not 
English, with a " saving clause," and when the Amer- 
ican colonists, more than a century ago, asked for 
their freedom from English rule, it was refused with 
the intimation that they were not capable of self-gov- 
ernment. This sneer lost John Bull his colonies, and 
America then and there declared her independence 
to act as she pleased. She has done so ever since, 
not always admitting, that in some things, other na- 
tions might be wiser. But to-day, in matters of sci- 
ence she recognizes the imperative necessity of a 
training that educates, compares, observes closely, 
avoids serious mistakes, and produces the inevitable 
consequences desired or intended. It is one of the 
blessed results of our swift Trans-Atlantic journeys, 
encouraging constant travel and communication with 
foreign countries, that the wise of our day and gener- 
ation have been enabled to gather and enjoy the 
various fruits of scientific research, ripe with age, to 
be found in the cultivated gardens of Europe's col- 
leges. 

The recent establishment here of veterinary 
schools is a growth commensurate with the more 
advanced ideas, not only of men of science, but of 
such interested owners of blooded stock as desire to 



CONCLUSION. 153 

perpetuate the best types, and who are willing to ex- 
periment only in the right direction. Only a few 
years ago the "vet" in America was the stableman, 
practised only in his daily care of, and experience 
with, horses, and seeking to relieve their distress 
through his very love of them. To-day a thorough 
course of study and practical training is deemed 
essential, to secure a graduate's diploma in any 
veterinary college. The American Veterinary Review^ 
issued monthly, edited by Prof. A. Liautard, M.D., 
V.M., Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of 
Veterinary Surgeons, England, and the valuable 
works of Dr. James Law, of Cornell University, Prof. 
O. Schwartzkopff, V.M., of the University of Min^ 
nesota, Prof. Wm. Zuill, M.D., D.V.S., of the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania, Dr. Hoskins and Dr. Will- 
iams of New York, Dr. Huidekoper of Philadelphia, 
Dr. D. E. Salmon of the U. S. Department of Agri- 
culture, and others, tell of the great strides in prac- 
tical scientific knowledge our students are making. 

To seize an idea quickly and improve it to perfec- 
tion is a national trait — a matter of chronic surprise 
and wonderment, to those who know only the method 
which grinds and plods, to arrive at certain truths 
only after the most exhausting labor. 

If our experiments^ are somewhat bold, we are sure 
they will be tempered with humane treatment, and 
that we shall never imitate the dreadful abuses one 
sometimes reads of in the foreign news, to which 
science in many cases condemns its victims, the 
wretched dumb creatures selected for experiment. 

Our societies for the prevention of cruelty to 



154 > MY horse; my love. 

animals, presided over by such men as George 
Angell of Boston and John P. Haines of New York, 
are ever on the alert to enforce kindest consideration 
for all that need their protection, while cruelties are 
punished with all the rigors of the law. The workers 
are in earnest. Abuses are being corrected. The 
abolishment of the check-rein in many of the 
smartest turn-outs on our fashionable drives, proves 
the significance of " Black Beauty's" horse-sense, 
and how deeply it has sunk into the minds and 
natures of the hitherto unthinking. That they fol- 
low the example set by the Queen of England, who 
permits no check-reins, does not detract from the 
courage of refusing here, to follow a fashionable 
fad. 

All domesticated animals crave a perfect sympathy 
with their masters, and ask in their mute way for some 
constant expression of it. What lover can exhibit a 
more genuine jealousy than a devoted dog, or show 
the symptoms of that unhappy trait more deter- 
minedly? What a tragical grief is that which can 
make a dog or horse refuse his food, and thus die of 
starvation, for the loss of his companion for whom he 
had such enduring love? Such instances are nu- 
merous. Horses are never so willing, as when they 
feel the magnetic influence of the hand that guides, 
and the voice that cheers them on! So intense is 
this sympathy that they become easy subjects of 
hypnotization. The practice of this mysterious 
science was introduced into the Austrian army by 
a cavalry officer named Balassa, and hence is called 
" Balassiren." So popular has it become in cases 



CONCLUSION. 155 

of any painful operation, that it has been adopted by 
law in Austria. 

What the years may bring forth to us in our 
intimate and ever extending knowledge of the super- 
lative delight and usefulness of our coming horse, 
may all my indulgent readers live to know and ap- 
preciate ! And if this little book shall point the way 
to improvement in any direction, it will have ful- 
filled its intended mission. 







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